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FROM  DAY  TO  DAY 
WITH  LONGFELLOW 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Arciiive 

in  2008  witii  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


littp://www.arGliive.org/details/fromdaytodaywitliOOIong 


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From  Day  to  Day 
With  1  iongfellow 

COMPILED    BY 

OLIVE    VAN    BUREN 

NEW  YORK 

BARSE  &  HOPKINS 

PUBLISHERS 

Copyright,  1910, 

BY 

BARSE  &  HOPKINS 


TS 

From  Day  to  Day  with  Longfellow  "^  "^^ 

JANUARY 

January  Fikst 

Hark!  how  the  loud  and  ponderous  mace  of 
Time 
Knocks  at  the  golden  portals  of  the  day! 
The  Spanish  Student. 

January  Second 

0  child!  O  new-born  denizen 

Of  life's  great  city!  on  thy  head  ': 

The  glory  of  the  morn  is  shed, 

Like  a  celestial  benison  ! 

Here  at  the  portal  thou  dost  stand, 

And  with  thy  little  hand 

Thou  openest  the  mysterious  gate 

Into  the  future's  undiscovered  land. 

Enough!     I  will  not  play  the  Seer; 

1  will  no  longer  strive  to  ope 
The  mystic  volume,  where  appear 
The  herald  Hope,  forerunning  Fear, 
And  Fear,  the  pursuivant  of  Hope. 
Thy  destiny  remains  untold. 

To  a  Child. 

[5] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

January  Third 

O  little  feet !  that  such  long  years 

Must  wander  on  through  hopes  and  fears, 

Must  ache  and  bleed  beneath  your  load ; 
I,  nearer  to  the  wayside  inn 
Where  toil  shall  cease  and  rest  begin, 

Am  weary,  thinking  of  your  road! 

Weariness. 

January  Fourth 
Ah,  how  skilful  grows  the  hand 
That  obeyeth  Love's  command ! 
It  is  the  heart,  and  not  the  brain, 
That  to  the  highest  doth  attain. 
And  he  who  followeth  Love's  behest 
Far  exceedeth  all  the  rest! 

The  Btiilding  of  the  Ship. 

January  Fifth 
Be  noble  in  every  thought 
And  in  every  deed! 
Let  not  the  illusion  of  thy  senses 
Betray  thee  to  deadly  offences. 
Be  strong !  be  good !  be  pure ! 
The  right  only  shall  endure, 
All   things    else   are   but    false   pretences. 
The  Golden  Legend. 

[6] 


FKOM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

January  Sixth 

O  the  long  and  dreary  Winter ! 
O  the  cold  and  cruel  Winter! 
Ever  thicker,  thicker,  thicker 
Froze  the  Ice  on  lake  and  river, 
Ever  deeper,  deeper,  deeper 
Fell  the  snow  o'er  all  the  landscape, 
Fell  the  covering  snow,  and  drifted 
Through  the  forest,  round  the  village. 
The  Song  of  Hiawatha. 


January  Seventh 

Behold  of  what  delusive  worth 

The  bubbles  we  pursue  on  earth, 

The  shapes  we  chase. 

Amid  a  world  of  treachery ! 

They  vanish  ere  death  shuts  the  eye 

And  leave  no  trace. 

Time  steals   them   from  us, — chances   strange. 

Disastrous  accidents,  and  change, 

That  come  to  all ; 

Even  in  the  most  exalted  state. 

Relentless  sweeps  the  stroke  of  fate ; 

The  strongest  fall. 

Coplas  de  Manrique. 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

January  Eighth 

"When  I   shake  my  hoary  tresses," 
Said  the  old  man,  darkly  frowning, 
"All  the  land  with  snow  is  covered; 
All  the  leaves  from  all  the  branches 
Fall  and  fade  and  die  and  wither. 
For  I  breathe,  and  lo !  they  are  not. 
From  the  waters  and  the  marshes 
Rise  the  wild  goose  and  the  heron. 
Fly  away  to  distant  regions. 
For  I  speak,  and  lo !  they  are  not." 

The  Sotig  of  Hiawatha. 

January  Ninth 

Lovest  thou  God  as  thou  oughtest,  then  lovest 

thou  likewise  thy  brethren ; 
One  is  the  sun  in  heaven,  and  one,  only  one,  is 

Love  also. 
Bears  not  each  human  figure  the  godlike  stamp 

on  his  forehead.'^ 
Readest  thou  not  in  his  face  thine  origin.?   Is  he 

not  sailing 
Lost  like  thyself  on  an  ocean  unknown,  and  is 

he  not  guided 
By  the  same  stars  that  guide  thee? 

The  Children  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

[8] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

y^  v?v  yfK  vjv  y^v  y^y^^rffiK',^  >;<  >?<  >jv  v^;  viv  y»v  y^v  y^v  /^x 

January   Tenth 
Then  come  the  wild  weather,  come  sleet  or  come 

snow, 
We  will  stand  by  each  other,  however  it  blow. 

Annie  of  Thar  aw. 

January  Eleventh 
How  can  I  teach  your  children  gentleness, 

And  mercy  to  the  weak,  and  reverence 
For  Life,  which,  in  its  weakness  or  excess, 

Is  still  a  gleam  of  God's  omnipotence, 
Or  Death,  which,  seeming  darkness,  is  no  less 

The  selfsame  light,  although  averted  hence, 
When  by  your   laws,  your   actions,   and  your 

speech. 
You  contradict  the  very  things  I  teach? 

The  Birds  of  Killingworth. 

January  Twelfth 
Into  the  Silent  Land ! 
Ah!  who  shall  lead  us  thither? 
Clouds  in  the  evening  sky  more  darkly  gather. 
And  shattered  wrecks  lie  thicker  on  the  strand. 
Who  leads  us  with  a  gentle  hand 
Thither,   0   thither. 
Into  the  Silent  Land? 

Song  of  the  Silent  Land. 

[9] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

>?<:>?<:>?<>?<  >f*:  5^  >t^  ^J*^"^  "^  "^"^^^  ^  ^^  "^  ^*^  ^ 

Januaky  Thirteenth 

Disenchantment !  Disillusion ! 

Must  each  noble  aspiration 

Come  at  last  to  this  conclusion, 

Jarring  discord,  wild  confusion, 

Lassitude,  renunciation  ? 

Epimetheus. 
January  Fourteenth 
From  the  sky  the  sun  benignant 
Looked  upon  them  through  the  branches, 
Saying  to  them,  "O  my  children, 
Love  is  sunshine,  hate  is  shadow, 
Life  is  checkered  shade  and  sunshine. 
Rule  by  love,  O  Hiawatha !" 

The  Song  of  Hiawatha. 
January  Fifteenth 
The  reign  of  violence  is  o'er 
Or  dying  surely  from  the  world; 
While  Love  triumphant  reigns  instead, 
And  in  a  brighter  sky  o'erhead 
His  blessed  banners  are  unfurled. 
And  most  of  all  thank  God  for  this : 
The  war  and  waste  of  clashing  creeds 
Now  end  in  words,  and  not  in  deeds, 
And  no  one  suffers  loss,  or  bleeds, 
For  thoughts  that  men  call  heresies. 

Interlude. 
[10] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

January  Sixteenth 

Earthly  desires  and  sensual  lust 

Are  passions  springing  from  the  dust, — 

They  fade  and  die; 

But,  in  the  life  beyond  the  tomb, 

They  seal  the  immortal  spirit's  doom 

Eternally ! 

Coplas  de  Manriqzie. 

January  Seventeenth 

Chill  airs  and  wintry  winds !  my  ear 
Has  grown  familiar  with  your   song ; 

I  hear  it  in  the  opening  year, — 
I  listen,  and  it  cheers  me  long. 

Woods  in  Winter. 

January  Eighteenth 

Think  of  thy  brother  no  ill,  but  throw  a  veil 

over  his  failings. 
Guide   the   erring   aright ;    for   the    good,    the 

heavenly  shepherd 
Took  the  lost  lamb  in  his  arms,  and  bore  it  back 

to  its  mother. 
This  is  the  fruit  of  Love,  and  it  is  by  its  fruits 

that  we  know  it. 

The  Children  of  the.  Lord's  Supper. 

[11] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

fi\  /iv  yjv  y|v  yt^  yfK  y^K  yfK  wfi.  vfi.  yi<yi<  >?v  vjv  >?<  >j<c  >?<  >?<c 

January  Nineteenth 
Our  Lord  and  Master, 
When  He  departed,  left  us  in  His  will, 
As  our  best  legacy  on  earth,  the  poor! 
These  we  have  always  with  us ;  had  we  not, 
Our  hearts  would  grow   as  hard   as   are  these 
stones. 

The  Golden  Legend. 
January  Twentieth 
Ah!  if  our  souls  but  poise  and  swing 
Like  the  compass  in  its  brazen  ring, 
Ever  level  and  ever  true 
To  the  toil   and  the  task  we  have  to  do. 
We  shall  sail  securely,  and  safely  reach 
The  Fortunate  Isles,  on  whose  shining  beach 
The  sights  we  see,  and  the  sounds  we  hear, 
Will  be  those  of  joy  and  not  of  fear! 

The  Building'  of  the  Ship. 
January  Twenty-first 
Thy  finer  sense  perceives 
Celestial  and  perpetual  harmonies ! 
Thy  purer  soul,  that  trembles  and  believes, 
Hears  the  archangel's  trumpet  in  the  breeze, 
And  where  the  forest  rolls,  or  ocean  heaves, 
Cecilia's  organ  sounding  in  the  seas. 
And  tongues  of  prophets  speaking  in  the  leaves. 

The  Golden  Legend. 
[12] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

January   Twenty-second 
Still  let  it  ever  be  thy  pride 
To  linger  by  the  laborer's  side; 
With  words  of  sympathy  or  song 
To  cheer  the  dreary  march  along 
Of  the  great  army  of  the  poor, 
O'er  desert  sand,  o'er  dangerous  moor. 
Nor  to  thj'self  the  task  shall  be 
Without  reward ;  for  thou  shalt  learn 
The  wisdom  early  to  discern 
True  beauty  in  utility. 

To  a  ChUd. 
January   Twenty-third 
Instead  of  whistling  to  the  steeds  of  Time, 
To  make  them  jog  on  merrily  with  life's  burden, 
Like  a  dead  weight  thou  hangest  on  the  wheels. 
Thou  art  too  young,  too  full  of  lusty  health 
To  talk  of  dying. 

The  Spanish  Student. 
January   Twenty-fourth 
Love  is  the  creature's  welfare,  with  God ;  but 

Love  among  mortals 
Is  but  an  endless  sigh!   He  longs,  and  endures, 

and   stands   waiting, 
Suffers  and  yet  rejoices,  and  smiles  with  tears 
on   his   eyelids. 
The  Children  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 
[13] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

January  Twenty-fifth 
Happy,  thrice  happy  every  one 
Who  sees  his  labor  well  begun, 
And  not  perplexed  and  multiplied, 
By  idly  waiting  for  time  and  tide. 

The  Building  of  the  Ship. 

January  Twenty-sixth 
I  saw,  as  in  a  dream  sublime, 
The  balance  in  the  hand  of  Time. 
O'er  East  and  West  its  beam  impended; 
And  day,  with  all  its  hours  of  light, 
Was  slowly  sinking  out  of  sight, 
While,  opposite,  the  scale  of  night 
Silently  with  the  stars  ascended. 

The  Occultation  of  Orion. 

January  Twenty-seventh 
Sleep,  sleep,  O  city !  though  within 
The  circuit  of  your  walls  there  lies 
No  habitation  free  from  sin, 
And  all  its  nameless  miseries  ; 
The  aching  heart,  the  aching  head, 
Grief  for  the  living  and  the  dead, 
And  foul  corruption  of  the  time. 
Disease,  distress,  and  want,  and  woe. 

The  Golden  Legend. 

[14] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

January  Twenty-eighth 
Even  as  our  cloudy  fancies  take 

Suddenly  shape  m  some  divine  expression, 
Even  as  the  troubled  heart  doth  make 
In  the  white  countenance  confession, 
The  troubled  sky  reveals 
The  grief  it  feels. 

Snow-Flakes. 
January  Twenty-ninth 
The  Angel  of  the  Star  of  Love, 
The  Evening  Star,  that  shines  above 

The  place  where  lovers  be, 
Above  all  happy  hearths  and  homes. 
On  roofs  of  thatch,  or  golden  domes, 
I  give  him  Charity ! 

The  Golden  Legend. 
January  Thirtieth 
Not  to  one  church  alone,  but  seven. 
The  voice  prophetic  spake  from  heaven ; 
And  unto  each  the  promise  came. 
Diversified,  but  still  the  same; 
For  him  that  overcometh  are 
The  new  name  written  on  the  stone, 
The  raiment  white,  the  crown,  the  throne. 
And  I  will  give  him  the  Morning  Star! 

Interlude. 
[15] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

w  w  >??7j«:7j>r54<  >j<  7^  >?<  >t<  >?<  >t>^  >t<  >?^  >?<  >t<  yi<yf^ 

January  Thirty-first 

All  are  architects  of  Fate, 

Working  in  these  walls  of  Time; 

Some  with  massive  deeds  and  great, 
Some  with  ornaments  of  rhyme. 

Nothing  useless  is,  or  low; 

Each  thing  in  its  place  is  best; 
And  what  seems  but  idle  show 

Strengthens  and  supports  the  rest. 

Build  to-day,  then,  strong  and  sure. 
With  a  firm  and  ample  base; 

And  ascending  and  secure 

Shall  to-morrow  find  its  place. 

The  Builders. 


[16] 


FEOM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 


FEBRUARY 


February  First 

Our  feelings  and  our  thoughts 
Tend  ever  on,  and  rest  not  in  the  Present. 
As  drops  of  rain  fall  into  some  dark  well, 
And  from  below  comes  a  scarce  audible  sound, 
So  fall  our  thoughts  into  the  dark  Hereafter, 
And  their  mysterious  echo  reaches  us. 

The  Spanish  Student. 


February  Second 

Therefore,  child  of  mortality,  love  thou  the  mer- 
ciful Father; 

Wish  what  the  Holy  One  wishes,  and  not  from 
fear,  but  affection; 

Fear  is  the  virtue  of  slaves ;  but  the  heart  that 
loveth  is  willing; 

Perfect  was  before  God,  and  perfect  is  Love, 
and  Love  only. 

The  Children  of  the  Lord's  Supper, 

[17] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

February  Third 
O  great  eternity 
Our  little  life  is  but  a  gust 

That  bends  the  branches  of  thy  tree, 
And  trails  its  blossoms  in  the  dust. 

Suspiria. 

February  Fourth 

Yet  why  should  I  fear  death !  What  is  it  to  die? 

To  leave  all  disappointment,  care,  and  sorrow, 

To  leave  all  falsehood,  treachery,  and  unkind- 

ness. 
All  ignominy,  suffering,  and  despair, 
And  be  at  rest  forever !  O  dull  heart, 
Be  of  good  cheer !    When  thou  shalt  cease  to 

beat, 
Then  shalt  thou  cease  to  suffer  and  complain ! 
The  Spanish  Student. 
February  Fifth 
Patience ;  accomplish  thy  labor ;  accomplish  thy 

work  of  affection ! 
Sorrow  and  silence  are  strong,  and  patient  en- 
durance is  godlike. 
Therefore  accomplish  thy  labor  of  love,  till  the 

heart  is  made  godlike, 
Purified,  strengthened,  perfected,  and  rendered 
more  worthy  of  heaven  ! 

Evangeline. 

[18] 


PROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

February  Sixth 
Then  in  Life's  goblet  freely  press 
The  leaves  that  give  it  bitterness, 
Nor  prize  the  colored  waters  less, 
For  in  thy  darkness  and  distress 
New  light  and  strength  they  give ! 

The  Goblet  of  Life. 

February  Seventh 
All  is  but  a  symbol  painted 

Of  the  Poet,  Prophet,  Seer; 
Only  those  are  crowned  and  sainted 
Who  with  grief  have  been  acquainted, 
Making  nations  nobler,  freer. 

Prometheus. 

February  Eighth 
And  forever  and  forever, 

As  long  as  the  river  flows, 
As  long  as  the  heart  has  passions, 

As  long  as  life  has  woes ; 

The  moon  and  its  broken  reflection 

And  its  shadows  shall  appear, 
As  the  symbol  of  love  in  heaven. 
And  its  wavering  image  here. 

The  Bridge. 
[19] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

ypi-yiK-j^yiK  >;<.  vjv  hv  y^  >?k  >?<  v?«c  >;vv^  y|y  vjv  y^v  vjv  4V 

February  Ninth 
Let  us  choose  that  narrow  way, 
Which  leads  no  traveler's  foot  astray 
From  realms  of  love. 

Coplas  de  Manrique. 

February  Tenth 
"Soul,  from  thy  casement  look,  and  thou  shalt 
see 
How  he  persists  to  knock  and  wait  for  thee !" 
And,  0 !  how  often  to  that  voice  of  sorrow, 
"To-morrow  we  will  open,"  I  replied. 
And  when  the  morrow  came  I  answered  still, 
"To-morrow." 

To-morrow. 

February  Eleventh 
And  the  evening  sun  descending 
Set  the  clouds  on  fire  with  redness, 
Burned  the  broad  sky,  like  a  prairie, 
Left  upon  the  level  water 
One  long  track  and  trail  of  splendor, 
Down  whose  stream,  as  down  a  river, 
Westward,  westward  Hiawatha 
Sailed  into  the  fiery  sunset. 
Sailed  into  the  purple  vapors. 
Sailed  into  the  dusk  of  evening. 

The  Song  of  Hiawatha, 

[20] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

February  Twelfth 
Toiling, — rejoicing, — sorrowing, 
Onward  through  life  he  goes ; 
Each  morning  sees  some  task  begin, 

Each  evening  sees  it  close; 
Something  attempted,  something  done, 
Has  earned  a  night's  repose. 

The  Village  Blacksmith. 
February  Thirteenth 
Thanks,  thanks  to  thee,  my  worthy  friend. 

For  the  lesson  thou  hast  taught! 
Thus  at  the  flaming  forge  of  life 

Our  fortunes  must  be  wrought; 
Thus  on  its  sounding  anvil  shaped 
Each  burning  deed  and  thought! 

The  Village  Blacksmith. 
February  Fourteenth 
In  the  elder  days  of  Art, 

Builders  wrought  with  greatest  care 
Each  minute  and  unseen  part; 
For  the  Gods  see  everywhere. 

Let  us  do  our  work  as  well. 

Both  the  unseen  and  the  seen ; 
Make  the  house,  where  Gods  may  dwell, 
Beautiful,  entire,  and  clean. 

The  Builders. 
[21] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

February  Fifteenth 

Ah!  what  a  wondrous  thing  it  is 
To  note  how  many  wheels  of  toil 
One  thought,  one  word,  can  set  in  motion! 
The  Building  of  the  Ship. 

February  Sixteenth 
Let  us  be  patient !    These  severe  afflictions 

Not  from  the  ground  arise, 
But  oftentimes  celestial  benedictions 
Assume  this  dark  disguise. 

Resignation. 

February  Seventeenth 
O  World !  so  few  the  years  we  live, 
Would  that  the  life  which  thou  dost  give 
Where  life  indeed ! 
Alas !  thy  sorrows  fall  so  fast. 
Our  happiest  hour  is  when  at  last 
The  soul  is  freed. 

Coplas  de  Manrique. 

February  Eighteenth 
This  world  is  but  the  rugged  road 
Which  leads  us  to  the  bright  abode 
Of  peace  above. 

Coplas  de  Manrique. 

[22] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

February  Nineteenth 
Intelligence  and  courtesy  not  always  are  com- 
bined ; 
Often  in  a  wooden  house  a  golden  room  we  find. 

Poetic  Aphorisms. 
February  Twentieth 
I  am  weary 
Of  the  bewildering  masquerade  of  Life, 
Where  strangers  walk  as  friends,  and  friends  as 

strangers ; 
Where  whispers  overheard  betray  false  hearts ; 
And  through  the  mazes  of  the  crowd  we  chase 
Some    form    of    loveliness,    that    smiles,    and 

beckons. 
And  cheats  us  with  fair  words,  only  to  leave  us 
A  mockery  and  a  jest;  maddened, — confused, — 
Not  knowing  friend  from  foe. 

The  Spanish  Student. 
February  Twenty-first 
Beloved  country !  banished  from  thy  shore, 
A  stranger  in  this  prison-house  of  clay, 
The  exiled  spirit  weeps  and  sighs  for  thee ! 
Heavenward  the  bright  perfections  I  adore 
Direct,  and  the  sure  promise  cheers  the  way. 
That,  whither  love  aspires,  there  shall  my  dwell- 
ing be. 

The  Native  Land. 
[23] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

February  Twenty-second 
Don't  cross  the  bridge  till  you  come  to  it 
Is  a  proverb  old  and  of  excellent  wit. 

The  Golden  Legend. 
February  Twenty-third 
Alas !  the  world  Is  full  of  peril ! 
The  path  that  runs  through  the  fairest  meads, 
On  the  sunniest  side  of  the  valley,  leads 
Into  a  region  bleak  and  sterile! 
Alike  in  the  high-born  and  the  lowly, 
The  will  is  feeble,  and  passion  strong. 
We  cannot  sever  right  from  wrong; 
Some  falsehood  mingles  with  all  truth ; 
Nor  is  it  strange  the  heart  of  youth 
Should  waver  and  comprehend  but  slowly 
The  things  that  are  holy  and  unholy! 

The  Golden  Legend. 
February  Twenty-fourth 
The  day  is  ending, 
The  night  is  descending ; 
The  marsh  is  frozen. 

The  river  dead. 
Through  clouds  like  ashes 
The  red  sun  flashes 
On  village  windows 
That  glimmer  red. 

Afternoon  in  February. 
[24] 


¥ 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

February  Twenty-fifth 

Ever  thicker,  thicker,  thicker 
Froze  the  ice  on  lake  and  river, 
Ever  deeper,  deeper,  deeper 
Fell  the  snow  o'er  all  the  landscape. 

The  Song  of  Hiawatha. 

February  Twenty-sixth 

All  through  life  there  are  way-side  inns,  where 
man  may  refresh  his  soul  with  love ; 

Even  the  lowest  may  quench  his  thirst  at  rivu- 
lets fed  by  springs  from  above. 

The  Golden  Legend. 

February  Twenty-seventh 

Why  then  are  you  not  contented? 
Why  then  will  you  hunt  each  other? 

I  am  weary  of  your  quarrels. 
Weary  of  your  wars  and  bloodshed, 
Weary  of  your  prayers  for  vengeance. 
Of  your  wranglings  and  dissensions ; 
All  your  strength  is  in  your  union. 
All  your  danger  Is  in  discord ; 
Therefore  be  at  peace  henceforward, 
And  as  brothers  live  together. 

The  Song  of  Hiawatha. 

[25] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 
«^7jir5^>K>J<>J<  VK>?^>f^7t?  yi<-  '^  y^Tif  '4k^  l^yiK 

Februaey  Twenty-eighth 

As  the  palm-tree  standeth  so  straight  and  so 

tall, 
The  more  the  hail  beats,  and  the  more  the  rains 

fall,— 
So  love  in  our  hearts  shall  grow  mighty  and 

strong. 
Through    crosses,    through    sorrows,    through 

manifold  wrong. 

Annie  of  Tharaw. 

February  Twenty-ninth 

Ye  voices,  that  arose 

After  the  Evening's  close. 

And  whispered  to  my  restless  heart  repose ! 

Go,  breathe  it  in  the  ear 

Of  all  who  doubt  and  fear. 

And  say  to  them,  "Be  of  good  cheer!" 

U  Envoi. 


rsG] 


FKOM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 


MARCH 


March  First 

The  sky  was  blue ;  without  one  cloud  of  gloom, 
The  sun  of  March  was  shining  brightly, 

And  to  the  air  the  freshening  wind  gave  lightly 
Its  breathings  of  perfume. 

The  Blind  Girl  of  Castel-Cuille. 


March  Second 

Never  here,  forever  there, 
Where  all  parting,  pain,  and  care, 
And  death,  and  time  shall  disappear,— 
Forever  there,  but  never  here! 
The  horologe  of  Eternity 
Sayeth  this  incessantly, — 
"Forever — never ! 
Never — forever !" 

The  Old  Clock  on  the  Stairs. 

[27] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

/^ir7?ir>?c>?^>?ir?3X'"??sr?jir>j<  yfK  y^  yjv  viv  >iy  TjirTj^TfrTp" 

March  Third 
Love  keeps  the  cold  out  better  than  a  cloak. 
It  serves  for  food  and  raiment. 

The  Golden  Legend. 

March  Fourth 
For  the  structure  that  we  raise. 

Time  is  with  materials  filled ; 
Our  to-days  and  yesterdays 

Are  the  blocks  with  which  we  build. 

Truly  shape  and  fashion  these ; 

Leave  no  yawning  gaps  between ; 
Think  not,  because  no  man  sees, 

Such  things  will  remain  unseen. 

The  Builder. 

March  Fifth 
Let    not  him    that  putteth    his  hand    to    the 

plough  look  backwards ; 
Though    the    ploughshare    cut    through    the 

flowers  of  life  to  its  fountains, 
Though  it  pass  o'er  the  graves  of  the  dead  and 

the  hearts  of  the  living, 
It  is  the  will  of  the  Lord ;  and  his  mercy  en- 

dureth  forever ! 

The  Courtship  of  Miles  Standish. 

[28] 


FRO]\r  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

March  Sixth 
So  long  as  Time  is,  is  Atonement. 
The  Children  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

March   Seventh 
You  do  not  look  on  life  and  death  as  I  do. 
There  are  two  angels,  that  attend  unseen 
Each  one  of  us,  and  in  great  books  record 
Our  good  and  evil  deeds.    He  who  writes  down 
The  good  ones,  after  every  action  closes 
His  volume,  and  ascends  with  it  to  God. 
The  other  keeps  his  dreadful  day-book  open 
Till  sunset,  that  we  may  repent;  which  doing, 
The  record  of  the  action  fades  away, 
And  leaves  a  line  of  white  across  the  page. 

The  Golden  Legend. 

March  Eighth 
Sweetly  over  the  village  the  bell  of  the  Angelus 

sounded. 
Over  the  pallid  sea  and  the  silvery  mist  of  the 

meadows. 
Silently  one  by  one,  in  the  infinite  meadows  of 

heaven, 
Blossomed  the  lovely  stars,  the  forget-me-nots 

of  the  angels. 


Evangeline. 


[29] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

March  Ninth 
Trust  no  Future,  howe'er  pleasant! 

Let  the  dead  Past  bury  its  dead ! 
Act, — act  in  the  hving  Present! 
Heart  within,  and  God  o'erhead! 

A  Psalm  of  Life. 
March  Tenth 
Ah!  if  thy  fate,  with  anguish  fraught, 
Should  be  to  wet  the  dusty  soil 
With  the  hot  tears  and  sweat  of  toil — 
To  struggle  with  imperious  thought. 
Until  the  overburdened  brain, 
Weary  with  labor,  faint  with  pain, 
Like  a  jarred  pendulum,  retain 
Only  its  motion,  not  its  power, — 
Remember,  in  that  perilous  hour, 
When  most  afflicted  and  oppressed. 
From  labor  there  shall  come  forth  rest. 

To  a  Child. 
March  Eleventh 
Did  we  but  use  it  as  we  ought. 
This     world     would     school     each     wandering 
thought 
To  its  high  state. 
Faith  wings  the  soul  beyond  the  sky, 
Up  to  that  better  world  on  high. 
For  which  we  wait. 

Coplas  de  Manrique. 
[30] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

Ti^yfirf^i^i^i^'^^sry^yi^-T^y^  viv  v^v  y^  vfi.  y^y^^y^ 

March  Twelfth 
The  rising  moon  has  hid  the  stars; 
Her  level  rays,  like  golden  bars, 
Lie  on  the  landscape  green. 
With  shadows  brown  between. 

^  Endymion. 

March  Thirteenth. 

Yes,  Love  is  ever  busy  with  his  shuttle, 

Is  ever  weaving  into  life's  dull  warp 

Bright,  gorgeous  flowers  and  scenes  Arcadian ; 

Hanging  our  gloomy  prison-house  about 

With  tapestries,  that  make  its  walls  dilate 

In  never  ending  vistas  of  delight. 

The  Spanish  Student. 

March  Fourteenth 
The  heights  by  great  men  reached  and  kept 

Were  not  attained  by  sudden  flight. 
But  they,  while  their  companions  slept, 

Were  toiling  upward  in  the  night. 

All  common  things,  each  day's  events, 
That  with  the  hour  begin  and  end, 

Our  pleasures   and  our  discontents. 
Are  rounds  by  which  we  may  ascend. 

The  Ladder  of  St.  Augustine. 

[31] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

Tti.  "/^  yi\  y;\  yi<  >;o??^?tic>?<  >?<?  >?<>);<  y^^i^  >;<  >?>?  vjv  >?< 

March  Fifteenth 
Sacred   heart   of   the    Savior !    O    inexhaustible 

fountain ! 
Fill  our  hearts  this  day  with  strength  and  sub- 
mission and  patience ! 

Evangeline. 
March  Sixteenth 
Honor  to  those  whose  words  or  deeds 
Thus  help  us  in  our  daily  needs, 
And  by  their  overflow 
Raise  us  from  what  is  low ! 

Santa  Filomena. 
March  Seventeenth 
I  have  no  other  shield  than  mine  own  virtue, 
That  is  the  charm  which  has  protected  me ! 
Amid  a  thousand  perils,  I  have  worn  it 
Here  on  my  heart!    It  is  my  guardian  angel. 
The  Spanish  Student. 
March  Eighteenth 
Strange  is  the  heart  of  man,  with  its  quick,  mys- 
terious instincts ! 
Strange  is  the  life  of  man,  and  fatal  or  fated 

are  moments, 
Whereupon  turn,  as  on  hinges,  the  gates  of  the 
wall  adamantine ! 

The  Courtship  of  Miles  Standish. 

[32] 


FEOM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

>^  >iK-7^  viv  y^y  viv  >{<  vjiTTj^Tiv  v+v  v^v  v^c  v^-  v?<  w  >t<  >?< 

March  Nineteenth 

Perfect  is  love,  and  love  only. 
Lovest  thou  God  as  thou  oughtest,  then  lovest 
thou  likewise  thy  brethren. 

The  Children  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

March  Twentieth 

Round  me,  o'er  me,  everywhere. 

All  the  sky  is  grand  with  clouds, 
And  athwart  the  evening  air 

Wheel  the  swallows  home  in  crowds, 
Shafts  of  sunshine  from  the  west 

Paint  the  dusky  windows  red; 
Darker  shadows,  deeper  rest. 

Underneath  and  overhead. 

The  Golden  Legend. 

March  Tw^enty-first 

From  the  sky  the  moon  looked  at  them, 
Filled  the  lodge  with  mystic  splendors. 
Whispered  to  them,  "O  my  children. 
Day  is  restless,  night  is  quiet, 
Man  imperious,  woman  feeble; 
Half  is  mine,  although  I  follow ; 
Rule  by  patience.  Laughing  Water!" 

The  Song  of  Hiawatha. 

[33] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

March   Twenty-second 
In  heaven  shalt  thou  receive,  at  length, 
The  guerdon  of  thine  earthly  strength 
And  dauntless  hand. 

Co  pi  as  de  Manrique, 

March  Twenty-third 
Hands  of  invisible  spirits  touch  the  strings 
Of  that  mysterious  instrument,  the  soul, 
And  play  the  prelude  to  our  fate. 

The  Spanish  Student. 

March  Twenty-fourth 
He  preached  to  all  men  everywhere 
The  Gospel  of  the  Golden  Rule, 
The  New  Commandment  given  to  men, 
Thinking  the  deed,  and  not  the  creed. 
Would  help  us  in  our  utmost  need. 

The  Wayside  Inn. 

March  Twenty-fifth 
Let  our  unceasing,  earnest  prayer 
Be,  too,  for  light, — for  strength  to  bear 
Our  portion  of  the  weight  of  care. 
That  crushes  into  dumb  despair 
One  half  the  human  race. 

The  Goblet  of  Life. 

[34] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

March  Twenty-sixth 
Ah !  what  would  the  world  be  to  us 

If  the  children  were  no  more? 
We  should  dread  the  desert  behind  us 
Worse  than  the  dark  before. 

Children. 

March  Twenty-seventh 
All  Is  of  God !   If  he  but  wave  his  hand, 

The  mists   collect,   the  rain  falls   thick  and 
loud. 
Till,  with  a  smile  of  light  on  sea  and  land, 
Lo !  he  looks  back  from  the  departing  cloud. 

The  Two  Angels. 

March  Twenty-eighth 
Life  is  real !  Life  is  earnest ! 
And  the  grave  is  not  its  goal ; 
"Dust  thou  art,  to  dust  returnest," 
Was  not  spoken  of  the  soul. 

A  Psalm  of  Life. 

March  Twenty-ninth 
There  Is  no  Death !  What  seems  so  is  transition. 

This  life  of  mortal  breath 
Is  but  a  suburb  of  the  life  elysian. 
Whose  portal  we  call  Death. 

Resignation, 

[35] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

]\Iarch  Thirtieth 

Sorrow  and  silence  are  strong,  and  patient 
endurance  is  Godlike. 

Evangeline. 


March  Thirty-first 

Visions  of  childhood!  Stay,  O  stay! 

Ye  were  so  sweet  and  wild ! 
And  distant  voices  seemed  to  say, 
"It  cannot  be !   They  pass  away ! 
Other  themes  demand  thy  lay; 

Thou  art  no  more  a  child! 

"The  land  of  Song  within  thee  lies, 

Watered  by  living  springs ; 

The  lids  of  Fancy's  sleepless  eyes 

Are  gates  unto  that  Paradise ; 

Holy  thoughts,  like  stars,  arise. 

Its  clouds  are  angels'  wings." 

JPrelude, 


[36] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 


APRIL 

April  First 

Sweet  April ! — many  a  thought 
Is  wedded  unto  thee,  as  hearts  are  wed ; 
Nor  shall  they  fail,  till,  to  its  autumn  brought, 

Life's  golden  fruit  is  shed. 

An  April  Day. 


April  Second 

Gentle  Spring! — in  sunshine  clad. 
Well  dost  thou  thy  power  display ! 

For  Winter  makoth  the  light  heart  sad, 

And  thou, — thou  makest  the  sad  heart  gay. 

He  sees  thee,  and  calls  to  his  gloomy  train, 

The  sleet,  and  the  snow,  and  the  wind,  and  the 
rain ; 

And  they  shrink  away,  and  they  flee  in  fear, 
When  thy  merry  step  draws  near. 

Spring. 

[37] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

April  Third 
O  life  and  love !   O  happy  throng 
Of  thoughts  whose  only  speech  is  song! 
O  heart  of  man !  canst  thou  not  be 
Blithe  as  the  air  is,  and  as  free? 

A  Day  of  Sunshine. 

April  Fourth 
Tell  me  not,  in  mournful  numbers, 

"Life  is  but  an  empty  dream  !" 
For  the  soul  is  dead  that  slumbers. 
And  things  are  not  what  they  seem. 

A  Psalm  of  Life. 

April  Fifth 
Why  seek  to  know? 
Enjoy  the  merry  shrove-tide  of  thy  youth! 
Take  each  fair  mask  for  what  it  gives  itself, 
Nor  strive  to  look  beneath  it. 

The  Spanish  Student. 

April  Sixth 
The  day  is  done,  and  the  darkness 

Falls  from  the  wings  of  Night, 
As  a  feather  is  wafted  downward 
From  an  eagle  in  his  flight. 

The  Day  Is  Done. 

[38] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

April  Seventh 
O  Lord!  that  secst,  from  yon  starry  height, 
Centred  in  one  the  future  and  the  past, 
Fashioned  in  thine  own  image,  see  how  fast 
The  world  obscures  in  me  what  once  was  bright ! 
Eternal  Sun !  the  warmth  which  thou  hast  given, 
To  cheer  life's  flowery  April,  fast  decays ; 
Yet,  in  the  hoary  winter  of  my  days. 
Forever  green  shall  be  my  trust  in  Heaven. 

The  Image  of  God. 
April  Eighth 
A  new  and  better  life  begin ! 
God  maketh  thee  forever  free 
From  the  dominion  of  thy  sin ! 
Go,  sin  no  more!   He  will  restore 
The  peace  that  filled  thy  heart  before, 
And  pardon  thine  iniquity  ! 

The  Golden  Legend. 
April  Ninth 
If  thou  art  worn  and  hard  beset 
With  sorrows,  that  thou  wouldst   forget. 
If  thou  wouldst  read  a  lesson,  that  will  keep 
Thy  heart  from  fainting  and  thy   soul  from 

sleep. 
Go  to  the  woods  and  hills ! — No  tears 
Dim  the  sweet  look  that  Nature  wears. 

Sunrise  on  the  Hills. 
[39] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

April  Tenth 
Came  the  Spring  with  all  its  splendor, 
All  its  birds  and  all  its  blossoms, 
All  its  flowers  and  leaves  and  grasses. 

The  Song  of  Hiawatha. 

April  Eleventh 
No  action,  whether  foul  or  fair, 
Is  ever  done,  but  it  leaves  somewhere 
A  record,  written  by  fingers  ghostly. 
As  a  blessing  or  a  curse,  and  mostly 
In  the  greater  weakness  or  greater  strength 
Of  the  acts  which  follow  it,  till  at  length 
The  wrongs  of  ages  are  redressed. 
And  the  justice  of  God  made  manifest. 

The  Golden  Legend. 

April  Twelfth 
Lives  of  great  men  all  remind  us 

We  can  make  our  lives  sublime, 
And,  departing,  leave  behind  us 

Footprints  on  the  sands  of  time; 

Footprints,  that  perhaps  another, 
Sailing  o'er  life's  solemn  main, 

A  forlorn  and  shipwrecked  brother, 
Seeing,  shall  take  heart  again. 

A  Psalm  of  Life. 

[40] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

April  Thirteenth 
Patience !      .       .       .       have    faith,    and    thy 
prayer  will  be  answered, 

Evangeline. 

April  Fourteenth 
This  life  of  curs  is  a  wild  seolian  harp  of  many 

a  joyous  strain, 
But  under  them  all  there  runs  a  loud  perpetual 
wail,  as  of  souls  in  pain. 

The  Spanish  Student. 

April  Fifteenth 
Though  the  mills  of  God  grind  slowly,  yet  they 

grind  exceeding  small, 
Though  with  patience  he  stands  waiting,  with 
exactness  grinds  he  all. 

Poetic  Aphorisms. 

April  Sixteenth 
Celestial  King !   O  let  thy  presence  pass 
Before  my  spirit,  and  an  image  fair 

Shall   meet   that  look  of  mercy   from   on 
high, 
As  the  reflected  image  in  a  glass 

Doth  meet  the  look  of  him  who  seeks  it  there, 
And  owes  its  being  to  the  gazer's  eye. 
The  Image  of  God. 

[41] 


FEOM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

April  Seventeenth 
Think  of  thy  brother  no  ill,  but  throw  a  veil 

over  his  failings, 
Guide  the  erring  aright. 

The  Children  of  the  Lord's  Supper, 

April  Eighteenth 
Laugh  of  the  mountain ! — lyre  of  bird  and  tree ! 
Pomp  of  the  meadow !  mirror  of  the  morn ! 
The  soul  of  April,  unto  whom  are  born 
The  rose  and  jessamine,  leaps  wild  in  thee! 

The  Brook. 

April  Nineteenth 
Whene'er  a  noble  deed  is  wrought, 
Whene'er  is  spoken  a  noble  thought, 
Our  hearts,  in  glad  surprise. 
To  higher  levels  rise. 

Santa  Filomena. 

April  Twentieth 
To  One  alone  my  thoughts  arise. 
The  Eternal  Truth,— the  Good  and  Wise,— 
To  Him  I  cry. 

Who  shared  on  earth  our  common  lot, 
But  the  world  comprehended  not 
His  deity. 

Coplas  de  Manrique, 
[42] 


FKOM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

April,  Twenty-first 
The  will  of  heaven  my  will  shall  be, 
I  bow  to  the  divine  decree, 
To  God's  behest. 

Coplas  de  Manrique. 

April  Twenty-second 
This  is  the  day,  when  from  the  dead 
Our  Lord  arose;  and  everywhere. 
Out  of  their  darkpess  and  despair. 
Triumphant  over  fears  and  foes. 
The  hearts  of  his  disciples  rose ; 
When  to  the  women,  standing  near, 
The  Angel  in  shining  vesture  said, 
"The  Lord  is  risen ;  he  is  not  here !" 

The  Golden  Legend. 

April   Twenty-third 

Therefore  love  and  believe ;  for  works  will  fol- 
low spontaneous 

Even  as  day  does  the  sun ;  the  Right  from  the 
Good  Is  an  offspring, 

Love  in  a  bodily  shape ;  and  Christian  works  are 
no  more  than 

Animate  Love  and  Faith,  as  flowers  are  the  ani- 
mate spring-tide. 

The  Children  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

[43] 


FKOM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

April  Twenty-fourth 

The  green  trees  whispered  low  and  mild, 

It  was  a  sound  of  joy! 
They  were  my  playmates  when  a  child, 
And  rocked  me  in  their  arms  so  wild ! 
Still  they  looked  at  me  and  smiled, 

As  if  I  were  a  boy. 

Prelude. 

April  Twenty-fifth 

Feeling  is  deep   and   still ;  and   the   word  that 

floats  on  the  surface 
Is  as  the  tossing  buoy,  that  betrays  where  the 

anchor  is  hidden. 
Therefore  trust  to  thy  heart,  and  to  what  the 

world  calls  illusions. 

Evangeline. 

April  Twenty-sixth 

The  dawn  is  not  distant, 
Nor  is  the  night  starless ; 
Love  is  eternal! 
God  is  still  God,  and 
His  faith  shall  not  fail  us ; 
Christ  is  eternal! 

The  Saga  of  King  Olaf. 

[44.] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

April  Twenty-seventh 
Man-like  is  it  to  fall  into  sin, 
Fiend-like  is  it  to  dwell  therein, 
Christ-like  is  it  for  sin  to  grieve, 
God-like  is  it  all  sin  to  leave. 

Poetic  Aphorisms. 

April  Twenty-eighth 
Why  shouldst  thou  hate  then  thy  brother? 
Hateth    he    thee,    forgive!    For    'tis    sweet    to 

stammer  one  letter 
Of    the    Eternal's    language; — on    earth    it    is 

called  Forgiveness ! 
Knowest  thou  Him,  who  forgave,  with  the  crown 
of  thorns  round  his  temples? 

The  Children  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

April  Twenty-ninth 

Come  back!  ye  friendships  long  departed! 
That  like  o'erflowing  streamlets  started, 
And  now  are  dwindled,  one  by  one. 
To  stony  channels  in  the  sun  ! 
Come  back!  ye  friends,  whose  lives  are  ended! 
Come  back,  with  all  that  light  attended. 
Which  seemed  to  darken  and  decay 
When  ye  arose  and  went  away ! 

The  Golden  Legend. 

[45] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

Apeil  Thirtieth 

O  holy  Father !  pardon  in  me 
The  oscillation  of  a  mind 
Unsteadfast,  and  that  cannot  find 
Its  centre  of  rest  and  harmony ! 
For  evermore  before  mine  eyes 
This  ghastly  phantom  flits  and  flies, 
And  as  a  madman  through  a  crowd, 
With  frantic  gestures  and  wild  cries, 
It  hurries  onward,  and  aloud 
Repeats   its   awful   prophecies ! 
Weakness  is  wretchedness !    To  be  strong 
Is  to  be  happy !   I  am  weak, 
And  cannot  find  the  good  I  seek, 
Because  I  feel  and  fear  the  wrong! 

The  Golden  Legend, 


[46] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 


MAY 


May  First 

Clear  was  the  heaven  and  blue,  and  May,  with 

her  cap  crowned  with  roses, 
Stood  in  her  holiday  dress  in  the  fields,  and  the 

wind  and  the  brooklet 
Murmured    gladness    and    peace,    God's-peace! 

with  lips  rosy-tinted. 

The  Children  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

May  Second 

In  all  places,  then,  and  in  all  seasons. 

Flowers    expand    their    light    and    soul-like 
wings. 

Teaching  us,  by  most  persuasive  reasons. 
How  akin  they  are  to  human  things. 

And  with  childlike,  credulous  affection 
We  behold  their  tender  buds  expand  ; 

Emblems   of  our  own  great  resurrection, 
Emblems  of  the  bright  and  better  land. 

Flowers, 

[47] 


FEOM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

May  Third 
The  softly-warbled  song 
Comes  from   the   pleasant  woods,    and   colored 

wings 
Glance  quick    in    the   bright    sun,    that    moves 
along 
The  forest  openings. 

An  April  Day. 

May  Fourth 
God  sent  his  Singers  upon  earth 
With  songs  of  sadness  and  of  mirth, 
That  they  might  touch  the  hearts  of  men, 
And  bring  them  back  to  heaven  again. 

The  Singers. 
May  Fifth 
The  great  Master  said,  "I  see 
No  best  in  kind,  but  in  degree; 
I  gave  a  various  gift  to  each, 
To  charm,  to  strengthen,  and  to  teach." 

The  Singers. 
May  Sixth 
Let  us,  then,  be  what  we  are,  and  speak  what  we 

think,  and  in  all  things 
Keep  ourselves  loyal  to  truth,  and  the  sacred 
professions  of  friendship. 

The  Courtship  of  Miles  Standish. 

[48] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

j^yfK  ^yfKy;i:i^yfKy^yfK  >Jk  >?>c>{k  >j<r7?«:  >?^  >j^  >?k  v^k 

May  Seventh 
Maiden,  that  read'st  this  simple  rhyme, 

Enjoy  thy  youth,  it  will  not  stay; 
Enjoy  the  fragrance  of  thy  prime. 

For  O !  it  is  not  always  May ! 

Enjoy  the  Spring  of  Love  and  Youth, 
To  some  good  angel  leave  the  rest, 

For  Time  will  teach  thee  soon  the  truth. 
There  are  no  birds  in  last  year's  nest! 

It  is  not  always  May. 

May  Eighth 
The  day  is  drawing  to  its  close; 
And  what  good  deeds,  since  first  it  rose. 
Have  I  presented,  Lord,  to  thee. 
As  offerings  of  my  ministry? 
What  wrong  repressed,  what  right  maintained, 
What  struggle  passed,  what  victory  gained. 
What  good  attempted  and  attained? 

The  Golden  Legend. 

May  Ninth 
When  by  night  the  frogs  are  croaking,  kindle 

but  a  torch's  fire. 

Ha !  how  soon  they  all  are  silent ! 

Thus  Truth  silences  the  liar. 

Poetic  Aphorisms. 

[49] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

May  Tenth 

Ah!  when  the  infinite  burden  of  hfe  descendeth 
upon  us, 

Crushes  to  earth  our  hope,  and,  under  the  earth, 
in  the  graveyard, — 

Then  it  is  good  to  pray  unto  God ;  for  his  sor- 
rowing children 

Turns  he  ne'er  from  his  door,  but  he  heals  and 
helps  and  consoles  them. 
The  Children  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

May  Eleventh 
And  he  gathers  the  prayers  as  he  stands, 
And  they  change  into  flowers  in  his  hands, 

Into  garlands  of  purple  and  red ; 
And  beneath  the  great  arch  of  the  portal, 
Through  the  streets  of  the  City  Immortal 
Is  wafted  the  fragrance  they  shed. 

Sandalphon, 

May  Twelfth 
Yet  in  this  age 
We  need  another  Hildebrand,  to  shake 
And  purify  us  like  a  mighty  wind. 
The  world  is  wicked,  and  sometimes  I  wonder 
God  does  not  lose  Ms  patience  with  it  wholly. 
And  shatter  it  like  glass ! 

The  Golden  Legend. 

[50] 


FEOM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

v^TjOKT^VK  VK  VH  VK  vi<  Viv  viv  v^c  yi<yis:yfKyf^yK7tK 

May  Thirteenth 
Love  is  sunshine,  hate  is  shadow, 
Life  is  checkered  shade  and  sunshine ; 
Rule  by  love. 

The  Song  of  Hiawatha. 

May  Fourteenth 
Our  hearts  are  lamps  for  ever  burning 
With  a  steady  and  unwavering  flame, 
Pointing  upward,  for  ever  the  same. 
Steadily  upward  toward  the  Heaven ! 

The  Golden  Legend. 

May  Fifteenth 
For  when  the  heart  goes  before,  like  a  lamp,  and 

illumines  the  pathway. 
Many  things  are  made  clear,  that  else  he  hidden 
in  darkness. 

Evangelme. 

May  Sixteenth 
How  slowly  through  the  lilac-scented  air 
Descends  the  tranquil  moon !  Like  thistle-down 
The  vapory  clouds  float  in  the  peaceful  sky ; 
And  sweetly  from  yon  hollow  vaults  of  shade 
The  nightingales  breathe  out  their  souls  in  song. 
The  Spanish  Student. 

[51] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  AYITH  LONGFELLOW 

May  Seventeekth 
Alas !  we  are  but  eddies  of  dust, 
Uplifted  by  the  blast,  and  whirled 
Along  the  highway  of  the  world 
A  moment  only,  then  to  fall 
Back  to  a  common  level  all, 
At  the  subsiding  of  the  gust ! 

The  Spanish  Student. 

May  Eighteenth 
Be  strong !  be  good !  be  pure ! 
The  right  only  shall  endure. 

The  Golden  Legend. 

May  Nineteenth 
In  the  furrowed  land 
The  toilsome  and  patient  oxen  stand; 
Lifting  the  yoke-encumbered  head, 
With  their  dilated  nostrils  spread. 
They  silently  inhale 
The  clover-scented  gale, 
And  the  vapors  that  arise 
From  the  well-watered  and  smoking  soil. 
For  this  rest  in  the  furrow  after  toil 
Their  large  and  lustrous  eyes 
Seem  to  thank  the  Lord, 
More  than  man's  spoken  word. 

Rain  in  Summer. 

[52] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

May  Twentieth 
The  birds  sang  in  the  thickets, 
And  the  streamlets  laughed  and  glistened, 
And  the  air  was  full  of  fragrance. 

The  Song  of  Hiawatha. 
May  Twenty-first 

0  blessed  Lord !  how  much  I  need 
Thy  light  to  guide  me  on  my  way ! 
So  many  hands,  that,  without  heed. 

Still  touch  thy  wounds,  and  make  them  bleed! 
So  many  feet,  that,  day  by  day. 
Still  wander  from  thy  fold  astray! 
Unless  thou  fill  me  with  thy  light,, 

1  cannot  lead  thy  flock  aright ; 
Nor,  without  thy  support,  can  bear 
The  burden  of  so  great  a  care. 
But  am  myself  a  castaway  I 

The  Golden  Legend. 
May  Twenty-second 
O  gentle  spirit!  Thou  didst  bear  unmoved 
Blasts  of  adversity  and  frosts  of  fate! 
But  the  first  ray  of  sunshine  that  falls  on  thee 
Melts  thee  to  tears !  O,  let  thy  weary  heart 
Lean  upon  mine !  and  it  shall  faint  no  more. 
Nor  thirst,  nor  hunger ;  but  be  comforted 
And  filled  with  my  affection. 

The  Spanish  Student, 
[53] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

May  Twenty-third 
The  tidal  wave  of  deeper  souls 
Into  our  inmost  being  rolls, 
And  lifts  us  unawai^es 
Out  of  all  meaner  cares. 

Santa  Filomena, 

May  Twenty-foueth 
Let  us,  then,  be  up  and  doing, 
With  a  heart  for  any  fate; 
Still  achieving,  still  pursuing. 
Learn  to  labor  and  to  wait. 

A  Psalm  of  Life. 

May  Twenty-fifth 
No  endeavor  is  in  vain; 
Its  reward  is  in  the  doing. 
And  the  rapture  of  pursuing 

Is  the  prize  the  vanquished  gain. 

The  Wind  over  the  Chimney. 

May  Twenty-sixth 
Faith  alone  can  interpret  life,   and  the  heart 

that  aches  and  bleeds  with  the  stigma 
Of  pain,  alone  bears  the  likeness  of  Christ,  and 
can  comprehend  its  dark  enigma. 

The  Spanish  Student. 

[54] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

May  Twenty-seventh 
Pray  for  the  Dead! 
Why  for  the  dead,  who  are  at  rest? 
Pray  for  the  living,  in  whose  breast 
The  struggle  between  right  and  wrong 
Is  raging  terrible  and  strong, 
As  when  good  angels  war  with  devils ! 

The  Golden  Legend. 

May  Twenty-eighth 
Better  is  Death  than  Life !    Ah  yes !  to  thou- 
sands 
Death  plays  upon  a  dulcimer,  and  sings 
That  song  of  consolation,  till  the  air 
Rings  with  it,  and  they  cannot  choose  but  follow 
Whither  he  leads.    And  not  the  old  alone, 
But  the  young  also  hear  it,  and  are  still. 

The  Golden  Legend. 

May  Twenty-ninth 
Think  of  this,  O  Hiawatha! 
Speak  of  it  to  all  the  people. 
That  hence  forward  and  forever 
They  no  more  with  lamentations 
Sadden  the  souls  of  the  departed 
In  the  Islands  of  the  Blessed. 

The  Song  of  Hiawatha. 

[55] 


PKOM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

May  Thirtieth 

Think,    every    morning    when    the    sun    peeps 
through 

The  dim,  leaf-latticed  windows  of  the  grove, 
How  jubilant  the  happy  birds  renew 

Their  old,  melodious  madrigals  of  love! 
And  when  you  think  of  this,  remember  too 

'T  is  always  morning  somewhere,  and  above 
The  awakening  continents,  from  shore  to  shore. 
Somewhere  the  birds  are  singing  evermore. 
The  Birds  of  Killingworth, 


May  Thirty-first 

Like  the  swell  of  some  sweet  tune, 
Morning  rises  into  noon. 
May  glides  onward  into  June. 

Maidenhood, 


[56] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 


JUNE 


June  First 


All  the  meadows  wave  with,  blossoms, 
All  the  woodlands  ring  with  music. 
All  the  trees  are  dark  with  foliage. 

The  Song  of  Hiawatha. 


June  Second 

The  robin  and  the  bluebird,  piping  loud, 

Filled  all  the  blossoming  orchards  with  their 
glee. 

The  sparrows  chirped  as  if  they  still  were  proud 
Their  race  in  Holy  Writ  should  mentioned  be; 

And  hungry  crows  assembled  in  a  crowd, 
Clamored  their  piteous  prayer  Incessantly, 

Knowing  who  hears  the  ravens  cry,  and  said: 

"Give  us,  O  Lord,  this  day  our  daily  bread!" 
The  Birds  of  Killingworth. 

[57] 


FKOM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

June  Third 
Truth  from  falsehood  cleansed  and  sifted, 
Lives,  like  days  in  Summer,  lengthened. 

Epimetheus. 
June  Fourth 
"Blessed  be  God !  for  he  created  Death" 

The  mourners  said,  "and  Death  is  rest  and 
peace ;" 
Then  added,  in  the  certainty  of  faith, 

"And  giveth  Life  that  nevermore  shall  cease." 
The  Jewish  Cemetery  at  Newport. 

June  Fifth 
Weep  not,  my  friends!  rather  rejoice  with  me. 
I  shall  not  feel  the  pain,  but  shall  be  gone. 
And  you  will  have  another  friend  in  heaven. 
Then  start  not  at  the  creaking  of  the  door 
Through  which  I  pass.   I  see  what  lies  beyond  it. 

The  Golden  Legend. 

June  Sixth 
'T  is  the  heaven  of  flowers  you  see  there; 
All  the  wild-flowers  of  the  forest. 
All  the  lilies  of  the  prairie. 
When  on  earth  they  fade  and  perish, 
Blossom  in  that  heaven  above  us. 

The  Song  of  Hiawatha, 

[58] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

June  Seventh 
There  Is  a  quiet  spirit  in  these  woods, 
That  dwells    where'er    the    gentle    south    wind 

blows ; 
Where, underneath  the  white-thorn,  in  the  glade, 
The  wild  flowers  bloom,  or,  kissing  the  soft  air, 
The  leaves  above  their  sunny  palms  outspread. 
The  Spirit  of  Poetry. 

June  Eighth 
Come  to  me,  O  je  children ! 

And  whisper  in  my  ear 
What  the  birds  and  the  winds  are  singing 

In  your  sunny  atmosphere. 

For  what  are  all  our  contrivings, 

And  the  wisdom  of  our  books. 
When  compared  with  your  caresses. 
And  the  gladness  of  3'^our  looks? 

Children. 
June  Ninth 
My  Redeemer  and  my  Lord, 

I  beseech  Thee,  I  entreat  Thee, 
Guide  me  in  each  act  and  word. 

That  hereafter  I  may  meet  Thee, 
Watching,  waiting,  hoping,  yearning. 
With  my  lamp  well  trimmed  and  burning! 
The  Golden  Legend, 

[59] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

June  Tenth 
Affection  never  was  wasted ; 
If  it  enrich  not  the  heart  of  another,  its  waters, 

returning 
Back  to  their  springs,  hke  the  rain,  shall  fill 
them  full  of  refreshment. 

Evangeline. 
June  Eleventh 
My  soul  within 
Was  dark  with  passion  and  soiled  with  sin. 
But  now  its  wounds  are  healed  again ; 
Gone  are  the  anguish,  the  terror,  and  pain ; 
For  across  that  desolate  land  of  woe. 
O'er  whose  burning  sands  I  was  forced  to  go, 
A  wind  from  heaven  began  to  blow; 
And  all  my  being  trembled  and  shook, 
As  the  leaves  of  the  tree,  or  the  grass  of  the 

field, 
And  I  was  healed,  as  the  sick  are  healed. 
When  fanned  by  the  leaves  of  the  Holy  Book! 

The  Golden  Legend. 
June  Twelfth 
I  have  read,  in  the  marvellous  heart  of  man, 

That  strange  and  mystic  scroll, 
That  an  army  of  phantoms  vast  and  wan 
Beleaguer  the  human  soul. 

The  Beleaguered  City. 
[60] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

June  Thirteenth 

Love  thou  the  merciful  Father ! 
Wish  what  the  Holy  One  wishes,  and  not  from 
fear  but  affection. 
The  Children  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

June  Fourteenth 
O,  thou  child  of  many  prayers ! 
Life  hath  quicksands, — Life  hath  snares ! 
Care  and  age  come  unawares ! 

Maidenhood. 

June   Fifteenth 
But  if  thou  lovest, — mark  me!  I  say  lovest, 
The  greatest  of  thy  sex  excels  thee  not ! 
The  world  of  the  affections  is  thy  world. 
Not  that  of  man's  ambition.    In  that  stillness 
Which  most  becomes  a  woman,  calm  and  holy, 
Thou  sittest  by  the  fireside  of  the  heart. 
Feeding  its  flame. 

The  Spanish  Student. 

June  Sixteenth 
No  one  is  so  accursed  by  fate. 
No  one  so  utterly  desolate. 

But  some  heart,  though  unknown, 
Responds  unto  his  own. 

Endymion. 

[61] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

June  Seventeenth 

Let  thy  strong  heart  of  steel  this  day 
Put  on  its  armor  for  the  fray. 

Coplas  de  Manrique. 

June  Eighteenth 
All  thoughts  of  ill;  all  evil  deeds, 

That  have  their  root  in  thoughts  of  ill ; 
Whatever  hinders  or  impedes 

The  action  of  the  nobler  will ; — 

All  these  must  first  be  trampled  down 
Beneath  our  feet,  if  we  would  gain 

In  the  bright  fields  of  fair  renown 
The  right  of  eminent  domain. 

The  Ladder  of  St.  Augustine. 

June  Nineteenth 
The  night  is  silent,  the  wind  is  still, 
The  moon  is  looking  from  yonder  hill 
Down  upon  convent,  and  grove,  and  garden; 
The  clouds  have  passed  away  from  her  face, 
Leaving  behind  them  no  sorrowful  trace. 
Only  the  tender  and  quiet  grace 
Of  one,  whose  heart  has  been  healed  with  par- 
don. 

The  Golden  Legend, 

[62] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

yt^yt<-A\  -/fK -/fi.  yf<  yt<  -/isr^  >?<>?<>;<  >jk  -/^  >;<  v^-  >i>c  >?< 

June  Twentieth 
Old  and  yet  ever  new,  and  simple  and  beautiful 

always, 
Love  immortal  and  young  in  the  endless  suc- 
cession of  lovers. 
.    The  Courtship  of  Miles  Standish, 

June  Twenty-first 
Ye  whose  hearts  are  fresh  and  simple, 
Who  have  faith  in  God  and  Nature, 
Who  believe,  that  in  all  ages 
Every  human   heart  is  human. 
That  in  even  savage  bosoms 
There  are  longings,  yearnings,  strivings 
For  the  good  they  comprehend  not. 
That  the  feeble  hands  and  helpless. 
Groping  blindly  in  the  darkness, 
Touch  God's  right  hand  in  that  darkness 
And  are  lifted  up  and  strengthened ; — 
Listen  to  this  simple  story. 
To  this  Song  of  Hiawatha! 

The  Song  of  Hiawatha. 

June  Twenty-second 
Upon  purity  and  upon  virtue 
Resteth  the  Christian  Faith. 
The  Children  of  the  Lord's  Supper, 

[63] 


FEOM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

June  Twenty-third 
I  hear  the  wind  among  the  trees 
Playing  celestial  symphonies; 
I  see  the  branches  downward  bent, 
Like  keys  of  some  great  instrument. 
A  Day  of  Sunshine. 

June  Twenty-fourth 
Sail  forth  into  the  sea  of  life, 
O  gentle,  loving,  trusting  wife, 
And  safe  from  all  adversity 
Upon  the  bosom  of  that  sea 
Thy  comings  and  thy  goings  be ! 

The  Building  of  the  Ship. 

June  Twenty-fifth 
Bear  through  sorrow,  wrong,  and  ruth, 
In  thy  heart  the  dew  of  youth. 
On  thy  lips  the  smile  of  truth. 

Maidenhood. 

June  Twenty-sixth 
For  gentleness  and  love  and  trust 
Prevail  o'er  angry  wave  and  gust; 
And  in  the  wreck  of  noble  lives 
Something  immortal  still  survives ! 

The  Building  of  the  Ship. 

[64] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

June  Twenty-seventh 
This   was   the   wedding   morn   of  Priscilla    the 

Puritan  maiden. 
Friends  were  assembled  together ;  the  Elder  and 

Magistrate  also 
Graced  the  scene  with  their  presence,  and  stood 

like  the  Law  and  the  Gospel, 
One  with  the  sanction  of  earth  and  one  with  the 
blessing  of  Heaven. 

The  Courtship  of  Miles  Standish. 
June  Twenty-eighth 
An  odor  of  innocence,  and  of  prayer, 
And  of  love,  and  faith  that  never  fails, 
Such  as  the  fresh  young  heart  exhales. 

The  Golden  Legend. 
June  Twenty-ninth 
And  this  is  the  sweet  spirit,  that  doth  fill 
The    world;    and,    in    these    wayward   days    of 

youth, 
My  busy  fancy  oft  embodies  it. 
As  a  bright  image  of  the  light  and  beauty 
That  dwell  in  nature, — of  the  heavenly  forms 
We  worship  in  our  dreams,  and  the  soft  hues 
That  stain  the  wild  bird's  wing,  and  flush  the 

clouds 
When  the  sun  sets. 

The  Spirit  of  Poetry. 
[65] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

7^  wi<  viv  viv  >iv  vjx  y^yiK  >;v  >?<  y|v  v^y  yiy-^  /4v  v^v  viv  4V 

June  Thirtieth 

I  shot  an  arrow  into  the  air, 
It  fell  to  earth,  I  knew  not  where ; 
For,  so  swiftly  it  flew,  the  sight 
Could  not  follow  it  in  its  flight. 

I  breathed  a  song  into  the  air, 
It  fell  to  earth,  I  knew  not  where ; 
For  who  has  sight  so  keen  and  strong, 
That  it  can  follow  the  flight  of  song? 

Long,  long  afterward,  in  an  oak 
I  found  the  arrow,  still  unbroke ; 
And  the  song,  from  beginning  to  end, 
I  found  again  in  the  heart  of  a  friend. 
The  Arrow  and  the  Song. 


[66] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 


JULY 

July  First 
Like  unto  ships  far  off  at  sea, 
Outward  or  homeward  bound,  are  we. 

The  Building  of  the  Ship. 

July  Second 
Before,  behind,  and  all  around. 
Floats  and  swings  the  horizon's  bound, 
Seems  at  its  distant  rim  to  rise 
And  dimb  the  crystal  wall  of  the  skies, 
And  then  again  to  turn  and  sink. 
As  if  we  could  slide  from  its  outer  brink. 
The  Building  of  the  Ship. 

July  Third 
Ah!  it  is  not  the  sea, 
It  is  not  the  sea  that  sinks  and  shelves, 
But  ourselves 
That  rock  and  rise 
With  endless  and  uneasy  motion. 
Now  touching  the  very  skies, 
Now  sinking  into  the  depths  of  ocean. 

The  Building  of  the  Ship. 

[67] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

July  Fourth 
Sail  on,  O  Union,  strong  and  great! 
In  spite  of  rock  and  tempest's  roar, 
In  spite  of  false  lights  on  the  shore, 
Sail  on,  nor  fear  to  breast  the  sea! 
Our  hearts,  our  hopes,  are  all  with  thee. 
The  Building  of  the  Ship. 

July  Fifth 
Peace !  and  no  longer  from  its  brazen  portals 
The  blast  of  War's  great  organ  shakes  the 
skies ! 
But  beautiful  as  songs  of  the  immortals. 
The  holy  melodies  of  love  arise. 

The  Arsenal  at  Springfield. 

July  Sixth 
All  things  above  were  bright  and  fair. 

All  things  were  glad  and  free; 
Lithe  squirrels  darted  here  and  there, 
And  wild  birds  filled  the  echoing  air 
With  songs  of  Liberty! 

The  Slave  in  the  Dismal  Swamp. 

July  Seventh 
God  is  just ;  and  finally  justice 
Triumphs. 

Evangeline, 

[68] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

July  Eighth 
Labor  with  what  zeal  we  will, 

Something  still  remains  undone, 
Something  uncompleted  still 
Waits  the  rising  of  the  sun. 

Something  Left  Undone. 

July  Ninth 
Our  little  lives  are  kept  in  equipoise 
By  opposite  attractions  and  desires ; 
The  struggle  of  the  instinct  that  enjoys, 
And  the  more  noble  instinct  that  aspires. 

These  perturbations,  this  perpetual  jar 
Of  earthly  wants  and  aspirations  liigh. 

Come  from  the  influence  of  an  unseen  star. 
An  undiscovered  planet  in  our  sky. 

Haunted  Houses, 

July  Tenth 
Cross  against  corslet. 
Love  against  hatred, 
Peace-cry  for  war-cry ! 
Patience  is  powerful; 
He  that  o'ercometh 
Hath  power  o'er  the  nations  ! 

The  Saga  of  King  Olaf. 

[69] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

>f?  >?^  >fi:  7*?*:  >j>r  >i<  >jic  >j<  >t<:  >jx  >4i:  >tv  >?\  >j*r  >j^ 

July  Eleventh 
Thou  whose  heart 
Is  like  a  nest  of  singing  birds 
Rocked  on  the  topmost  bough  of  life, 
Wilt  thou,  too,  from  our  sky  depart, 
And  in  the  clangour  of  the  strife 
Mingle  the  music  of  thy  words? 

The  Golden  Legend. 

July  Twelfth 
The  spirit-world  around  this  world  of  sense 

Floats  like  an  atmosphere,  and  everywhere 
Wafts  through  these  earthly  mists  and  vapors 
dense 
A  vital  breath  of  more  ethereal  air. 

Haunted  Houses. 

July  Thirteenth 
When  the  hours  of  Day  are  numbered, 

And  the  voices  of  the  Night 
Wake  the  better  soul,  that  slumbered, 

To  a  holy,  calm  delight; 

Then  the  forms  of  the  departed 

Enter  at  the  open  door ; 
The  beloved,  the  true-hearted, 

Come  to  visit  me  once  more. 

Footsteps  of  Angels, 

[70] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

July  Fourteenth 
Friends  my  soul  with  joy  remembers! 

How  like  quivering  flames  they  start. 
When  I  fan  the  living  embers 

On  the  hearth-stone  of  my  heart ! 

To  the  River  Charles. 
July  Fifteenth 
And,  falling  on  my  weary  brain, 

Like  a  fast-falling  shower, 
The  dreams  of  j^outh  came  back  again, 
Low  lispings  of  the  siunmer  rain. 
Dropping  on  the  ripened  grain. 

As  once  upon  the  flower Prelude. 

July  Sixteenth 
Memory  brightens  o'er  the  past, 

As  when  the  sun,  concealed 
Behind  some  cloud  that  near  us  hangs. 
Shines  on  a  distant  field. 

A  Gleam  of  Sunshine. 
July  Seventeenth 
O  precious  hours !  O  golden  prime. 
And  affluence  of  love  and  time ! 
Even  as  a  miser  counts  his  gold, 
Those  hours  the  ancient  timepiece  told, — 
"Forever — never ! 
Never — forever !" 

The  Old  Clock  on  the  Stairs. 
[71] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

July  Eighteenth 

Hope,  the  befriending, 
Does  what  she  can,  for  she  points  evermore  up 
to  Heaven. 

The  Children  of  the  Lord's  Supper, 

July  Nineteenth 
Feeble,  at  best,  is  my  endeavor ! 
I  see,  but  cannot  reach,  the  height 
That  hes  forever  in  the  hght, 
And  yet  forever  and  forever, 
When  seeming  just  within  my  grasp, 
I  feel  my  feeble  hands  unclasp. 
And  sink  discouraged  into  night! 
For  thine  own  purpose,  thou  hast  sent 
The  strife  and  the  discouragement ! 

The  Golden  Legend. 
July  Twentieth 

We  have  not  wings,  Ave  cannot  soar ; 
But  we  have  feet  to  scale  and  climb 

By  slow  degrees,  by  more  and  more, 
The  cloudy  summits  of  our  time. 

The  mighty  pyramids  of  stone 

That  wedge-like  cleave  the  desert  airs, 
When  nearer  seen,  and  better  known, 
Are  but  gigantic  flights  of  stairs. 

The  Ladder  of  St.  Augustine, 
[72] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

July  Twenty-first 

Clear  fount  of  light !  my  native  land  on  high 
Bright  with  a  glory  that  shall  never  fade ! 
Mansion  of  truth !  without  a  veil  or  shade. 
Thy  holy  quiet  meets  the  spirit's  eye. 

The  Native  Land. 

July  Twenty-second 

Will  ye  promise  me  here,  (a  holy  promise!)  to 
cherish 

God  more  than  all  things  earthly,   and  every 
man  as  a  brother? 

Will  ye  promise  me  here,  to  confirm  your  faith 
by  your  living, 

Th'  heavenly  faith  of  affection !  to  hope,  to  for- 
give, and  to  suffer. 

Be  what  it  may  your  condition,  and  walk  before 
God  in  uprightness? 

The  Children  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

July  Twenty-third 

Hast  thou  e'er  reflected 
How  much  lies  hidden  in  that  one  word,  now? 
Yes ;  all  the  awful  mystery  of  Life ! 

The  Spanish  Student. 

[73] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

July  Twenty-fourth 
O  holy  Night !  from  thee  I  learn  to  bear 

What  man  has  borne  before! 
Thou  layest  thy  finger  on  the  Hps  of  Care, 
And  they  complain  no  more. 

Hymn  to  the  Night. 

July  Twenty-fifth 
Have  pity,  Lord !  let  penitence 
Atone  for  disobedience. 
Nor  let  the  fruit  of  man's  offence 
Be  endless  misery ! 

The  Golden  Legend. 

July  Twenty-sixth 
O,  weary  hearts !    O,  slumbering  eyes ! 
O,  drooping  souls,  whose  destinies 
Are  fraught  with  fear  and  pain. 
Ye  shall  be  loved  again ! 

Endymion. 

July  Twenty-seventh 
Then  shall  the  good  stand  in  immortal  bloom, 

In  the  fair  gardens  of  that  second  birth ; 
And  each  bright  blossom,  mingle  its  perfume 
With  that  of  flowers,  which  never  bloomed 
on  earth. 

God's  Acre. 
[74] 


f 


FKOM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

7p:y$Ki^yi^vt<  vi<yi<yi<ytKy^yii.  >j<  vjv  Tjir  vjv  >;<  >j<  vj< 

July  Twenty-eighth 

Bright  rose  the  sun  next  day ;  and  all  the  flow- 
ers of  the  garden 

Bathed  his  shining  feet  with  their  tears,  and  an- 
ointed his  tresses 

With  the  delicious  balm  that  they  bore  in  their 
vases  of  crystal. 

Evangeline. 

July  Twenty-ninth 

O  gift  of  God !  O  perfect  day : 
Whereon  shall  no  man  work,  but  play ; 
Whereon  it  is  enough  for  me, 
Not  to  be  doing,  but  to  be ! 

A  Day  of  Sunshine. 

July  Thirtieth 

For  there  are  moments  in  life,  when  the  heart  is 

so  full  of  emotion. 
That   If  by   chance  it  be   shaken,   or   into   its 

depths  like  a  pebble 
Drops  some  careless  word,  it  overflows,  and  its 

secret. 
Spilt  on  the  ground  like  water,  can  never  be 

gathered  together. 

The  Courtship  of  Miles  Standish. 

[75] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LOXGFELLOW 

July  Thirty-first 

Now  to  the  sunset 
Again  hast  thou  brought  us ; 
And,  seeing  the  evening 
Twihght,  we  bless  thee, 
Praise  thee,  adore  thee ! 

Father  omnipotent ! 
Son,  the  Life-giver ! 
Spirit,  the  Comforter! 
Worthy  at  all  times 
Of  worship  and  wonder ! 

The  Golden  Legend. 


[76] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 


AUGUST 


August  First 

Come  to  me,  O  ye  children! 

For  I  hear  you  at  your  play, 
And  the  questions  that  perplexed  me 

Have  vanished  quite  away. 

Children. 


August  Second 

What  the  leaves  are  to  the  forest. 
With  light  and  air  for  food, 

Ere  their  sweet  and  tender  juices 
Have  been  hardened  into  wood, — 

That  to  the  world  are  children ; 

Through  them  it  feels  the  glow 
Of  a  brighter  and  sunnier  climate 

Than  reaches  the  trunks  below. 

Children. 

[77] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

August  Third 

All  things  rejoice  in  youth  and  love, 
The  fuhiess  of  their  first  dehght. 

It  is  not  always  May. 

August  Fourth 

Childhood  is  the  bough,  where  slumbered 
Birds  and  blossoms  many-numbered ; — 
Age,  that  bough  with  snows  encumbered. 

Maidenhood. 

August  Fifth 

Tell  me, — the  charms  that  lovers  seek 
In  the  clear  eye  and  blushing  cheek, 
The  hues  that  play 
O'er  rosy  lip  and  brow  of  snow. 
When  hoary  age  approaches  slow. 
Ah,  where  are  they? 

Capias  de  Manrique. 

August  Sixth 

Never  grow  old,  nor  change,  nor  pass  away 

Your  gentle  voices  will  flow  on  for  ever, 
When  life  grows  bare  and  tarnished  with  decay. 
As  through  a  leafless  landscape  flows  a  river. 

Dedication. 
[78] 


FKOM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

August  Seventh 
A  millstone  and  the  human  heart  are  driven  ever 

round ; 
If  they  have  nothing  else  to  grind,  they  must 
themselves  be  ground. 

Poetic  Aphorisms. 

August  Eighth 
Air, — I  want  air,  and  sunshine,  and  blue  sky, 
The  feeling  of  the  breeze  upon  my  face. 
The  feeling  of  the  turf  beneath  my  feet, 
And  no  walls  but  the  far-off  mountain  tops. 
Then  I  am  free  and  strong, — once  more  myself. 
The  Spanish  Student. 

August  Ninth 
The  evening  air  grows  dusk  and  brown; 
I  must  go  forth  into  the  town. 
To  visit  beds  of  pain  and  death, 
Of  restless  limbs,  and  quivering  breath. 
And  sorrowing  hearts,  and  patient  eyes 
That  see,  through  tears,  the  sun  go  down, 
But  nevermore  shall  see  it  rise. 
The  poor  in  body  and  estate. 
The  sick  and  the  disconsolate. 
Must  not  on  man's  convenience  wait. 

The  Golden  Legend. 

[79] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

August  Tenth 
Above  thy  head,  through  rifted  clouds,  there 

shines 
A  glorious  star.     Be  patient.     Trust  thy  star  J 
The  Spanish  Student. 
August  Eleventh 
O  star  of  strength!  I  see  thee  stand 

And  smile  upon  my  pain ; 
Thou  beckonest  with  thy  mailed  hand, 

And  I  am  strong  again. 
The  star  of  the  unconquered  will, 

He  rises  in  my  breast, 
Serene,  and  resolute,  and  still. 
And  calm,  and  self-possessed. 

The  Light  of  Stars. 
August  Twelfth 
The  moon  was  pallid,  but  not  faint. 
And  beautiful  as  some  fair  saint, 
Serenely  moving  on  her  way 
In  hours  of  trial  and  dismay. 
As  if  she  heard  the  voice  of  God, 
Unharmed  with  naked  feet  she  trod 
Upon  the  hot  and  burning  stars. 
As  on  the  glowing  coals  and  bars 
That  were  to  prove  her  strength,  and  try 
Her  holiness  and  her  purity. 

The  Occultation  of  Orion. 
[80] 


FKOM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

yfi. '/ii.  vjv >|v  viv  vjv  y|y  vi^v^v  /^  >;<  >t< >j«^ >??>?<>?< >j«t  v?< 

August  Thirteenth 
Wondrous  truths,  and  manifold  as  wondrous, 

God  hath  written  in  those  stars  above; 
But  not  less  in  the  bright  flowerets  under  us 
Stands  the  revelation  of  his  love. 

Flowers. 
August  Fourteenth 
Love  is  the  Holy  Ghost  within  ; 
Hate,  the  unpardonable  sin ! 
Who  preaches  otherwise  than  this, 
Betrays  his  Master  with  a  kiss ! 

Christus — First  Interlude. 

August  Fifteenth 
Big  words  do  not  smite  like  war-clubs. 
Boastful  breath  is  not  a  bow-string, 
Taunts  are  not  so  sharp  as  arrows, 
Deeds  are  better  things  than  words  are. 
Actions  mightier  than  boastings  ! 

The  Song  of  Hiawatha. 

August  Sixteenth 
Works  do  follow  us  all  unto  God ;  there  stand 

and  bear  witness 
Not  what  they   seemed, — ^but   what  they  were 
only. 

The  Children  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

[81] 


FKOM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

August  Seventeenth 
O  suffering,  sad  humanity ! 
O  ye  afflicted  ones,  who  he 
Steeped  to  the  hps  in  misery. 
Longing,  and  yet  afraid  to  die. 
Patient,  though  sorely  tried ! 

The  Goblet  of  Life. 

August  Eighteenth 
Not  enjoyment,  and  not  sorrow, 

Is  our  destined  end  or  way ; 
But  to  act,  that  each  to-morrow 

Find  us  farther  than  to-day. 

Art  is  long,  and  Time  is  fleeting. 

And  our  hearts,  though  stout  and  brave, 

Still  like  muffled  drums,  are  beating 
Funeral  marches  to  the  grave. 

A  Psalm  of  Life. 

August  Nineteenth 
Angels  of  Life  and  Death  alike  are  his ; 

Without   his   leave   they   pass    no    threshold 
o'er; 
Who,  then,  would  wish  or  dare,  believing  this. 
Against  his  messengers  to  shut  the  door.'* 

The  Two  Angels. 

[82] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

August  Twentieth 

Hope, — so  is  called  upon  earth,  his  recompense, 

— Hope,  the  befriending. 
Does  what  she  can,  for  she  points  evermore  up 

to  heaven,  and  faithful 
Plunges  her  anchor's  peak  in  the  depths  of  the 

grave,  and  beneath  it 
Paints  a  more  beautiful  world,  a  dim,  but  a 

sweet  play  of  shadows  ! 

The  Children  of  the  Lard's  Supper. 

August  Twenty-first 

When  Christ  ascended 
Triumphantly,  from  star  to  star, 
He  left  the  gates  of  heaven  ajar. 

The  Golden  Legend. 

August  Twenty-second 

O  my  Saviour,  I  beseech  thee, 

Even  as  thou  hast  died  for  me. 

More  sincerely 

Let  me  follow  where  thou  leadest, 

'Let  me,  bleeding  as  thou  bleedest. 

Die,  if  dying  I  may  give 

Life  to  one  who  asks  to  live. 

The  Golden  Legend. 

[83] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

August  Twenty-third 

Oh  fear  not  in  a  world  like  this. 
And  thou  shalt  know  erelong, 

Know  how  sublime  a  thing  it  is 
To  suffer  and  be  strong. 

The  Light  of  Stars. 

August  Twenty-fourth 

Each  man's  chimney  is  his  Golden  Mile-stone, 
Is  the  central  point,  from  which  he  measures 

Every  distance 
Through  the  gateways  of  the  world  around  him. 
The  Golden  Mile-stone. 

August  Twenty-fifth 

O  thou  sculptor,  painter,  poet! 

Take  this  lesson  to  thy  heart: 
That  is  best  which  lieth  nearest; 

Shape  from  that  thy  work  of  art. 

Caspar  Becerra. 

August  Twenty-sixth 
If  any  thought  of  mine,  or  sung,  or  told. 

Has  ever  given  dehght  or  consolation. 

Ye  have  repaid  me  back  a  thousandfold. 

By  every  friendly  sign  and  salutation. 

Dedication, 

[84] 


FEOM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

jffK  y^K  yi\  y^\  >iv  ^^»r?pr7?«r7?r>j>c  yi< y^yi\ y^e: T^Tf^Tpr??? 

August  Twenty-seventh 
Forth  from  the  curtain  of  clouds,  from  the  tent 

of  purple  and  scarlet, 
Issued  the  sun,  the  great  High-Priest,  in  his 

garments  resplendent, 
Holiness  unto  the  Lord,  in  letters  of  light,  on 
his  forehead. 

The  Courtship  of  Miles  Standish. 

August  Twenty-eighth 
How  beautiful  it  is !    Fresh  fields  of  wheat, 
Vineyard,  and  town,  and  tower  with  fluttering 

flag, 
The  consecrated  chapel  on  the  crag, 
And  the  white  hamlet  gathered  round  its  base, 
Like  Mary  sitting  at  her  Saviour's  feet, 
And  looking  up  at  his  beloved  face ! 
O  friend !  O  best  of  friends !    Thy  absence  more 
Than  the  impending  night  darkens   the  land- 
scape o'er! 

The  Golden  Legend. 

August  Twenty-ninth 
Yet  in  thy  heart  what  human  sympathies, 
What  soft  compassion  glows,  as  in  the  skies 
The  tender  stars  their  clouded  lamps  relume! 

Dante, 

[85] 


FEOM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

August  Thirtieth 

All  about 
The  broad,  sweet  sunshine  lay  without, 
Filling  the  summer  air. 

The  Golden  Legend. 

August  Thirty-first 

Whither,  thou  turbid  wave 
Whither,  with  so  much  haste. 
As  if  a  thief  wert  thou? 

I  am  the  Wave  of  Life, 
Stained  with  my  margin's  dust ; 
From  the  struggle  and  the  strife 
Of  the  narrow  stream  I  fly 
To  the  Sea's  immensity. 
To  wash  from  me  the  slime 
Of  the  muddy  banks  of  Time. 

The  Wave, 


[86] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 


SEPTEMBER 

September  First 

Thou  comest,  Autumn,  heralded  by  the  rain, 
With  banners,  by  great  gales  incessant  fanned, 
Brighter  than  brightest  silks  of  Samarcand, 
And  stately  oxen  harnessed  to  thy  wain ! 
Thou  standest,  like  imperial  Charlemagne, 
Upon  thy  bridge  of  gold ;  thy  roj'al  hand 
Outstretched  with  benedictions  o'er  the  land. 

Autumn. 


September  Second 

The  morrow  was  a  bright  September  morn ; 
The  earth  was  beautiful  as  if  new-born  ; 
There  was  that  nameless  splendor  everywhere, 
That  wild  exhilaration  in  the  air. 
Which  makes  the  passers  in  the  city  street 
Congratulate  each  other  as  they  meet. 

The  Falcon  of  Ser  Federigo. 

[87] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

September  Third 

Forth  into  the  forest  straightway 
All  alone  walked  Hiawatha 
Proudly,  with  his  bow  and  arrows ; 
And  the  birds  sang  round  him,  o'er  him, 
*'Do  not  shoot  us,  Hiawatha !" 
Sang  the  robin,  the  Opechee, 
Sang  the  bluebird,  the  Owaissa, 
*'Do  not  shoot  us,  Hiawatha !" 

The  Song  of  Hiawatha. 

September  Fourth 

You  call  them  thieves  and  pillagers ;  but  know 
They  are  the  winged  wardens  of  your  farms, 

Who  from  the  cornfields  drive  the  insidious  foe, 
And   from   your   harvests    keep    a   hundred 
harms ; 

Even  the  blackest  of  them  all,  the  crow. 

Renders  good  service  as  your  man-at-arms, 

Crushing  the  beetle  in  his  coat  of  mail, 

And  crying  havoc  on  the  slug  and  snail. 

The  Birds  of  Killingworth. 

September  Fifth 
0,  had  I  faith,  as  in  the  days  gone  by, 
That  knew  no  doubt,  and  feared  no  mystery ! 
The  Golden  Legend. 
[88] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

September  Sixth 

In  this  false  world,  we  do  not  always  know 
Who  are  our  friends  and  who  our  enemies. 
We  all  have  enemies,  and  all  need  friends. 
The  Spanish  Student. 

September  Seventh 

Muse  of  all  the  Gifts  and  Graces ! 

Though  the  fields  around  us  wither. 
There  are  ampler  realms  and  spaces. 
Where  no  foot  has  left  its  traces ; 

Let  us  turn  and  wander  thither ! 

Epimetheus. 

September  Eighth 

Welcome,  my  old  friend, 
Welcome  to  a  foreign  fireside. 
While  the  sullen  gales  of  autumn 
Shake  the  windows. 

To  an  Old  Danish  Song-BooTc. 

September  Ninth 

Let  me  but  hear  thy  voice,  and  I  am  happy ; 
For  every  tone,  like  some  sweet  incantation 
Calls  up  the  buried  past  to  plead  for  me. 
The  Spanish  Student. 

[89] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

September  Tenth 
Golden  visions  wave  and  hover, 
Golden  vapors,  waters  streaming, 
Landscapes  moving,  changing,  gleaming! 
I  am  like  a  happy  lover 
Who  illumines  life  with  dreaming! 

The  Golden  Legend. 

September  Eleventh 
We  spake  of  many  a  vanished  scene, 
Of  what  we  once  had  thought  and  said, 
Of  what  had  been,  and  might  have  been. 
And  who  was  changed,  and  who  was  dead ; 

And  all  that  fills  the  hearts  of  friends. 
When  first  they  feel,  with  secret  pain. 
Their  lives  henceforth  have  separate  ends. 
And  never  can  be  one  again. 

The  Fire  of  Drift-wood. 

September  Twelfth 
Kind  messages,  that  pass  from  land  to  land ; 
Kind  letters,  that  betray  the  heart's  deep  his- 
tory, 
In  which  we  feel  the  pressure  of  a  hand, — 

One  touch  of  fire, — and  all  the  rest  is  mys- 
tery! 

Dedication, 

[90] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

September  Thirteenth 
We  may  build  more  splendid  habitations, 
Fill  our  rooms  with  paintings  and  with  sculp- 
tures, 

But  we  cannot 
Buy  with  gold  the  old  associations ! 

The  Golden  Mile-stone. 
September  Fourteenth 
Somewhat  back  from  the  village  street 
Stands  the  old-fashioned  country-seat. 
Across  its  antique  portico 
Tall  poplar-trees  their  shadows  throw 
And  from  its  station  in  the  hall 
An  ancient  timepiece  says  to  all, — 
"Forever — never ! 
Never — forever !" 

The  Old  Clock  on  the  Stairs. 
September   Fifteenth 
Down  through  the  golden  leaves  the  sun  was 

pouring  his  splendors, 
Gleaming     on     purple     grapes,     that,     from 

branches  above  them  suspended. 
Mingled  their  odorous  breath  with  the  balm  of 

the  pine  and  the  fir-tree, 
Wild  and  sweet  as  the  clusters  that  grew  in  the 
valley  of  Eshcol. 

The  Courtship  of  Miles  Standish. 
[91] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAT  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

September  Sixteenth 
Saint  Augustine !  well  hast  thou  said, 

That  of  our  vices  we  can  frame 
A  ladder,  if  we  will  but  tread 

Beneath  our  feet  each  deed  of  shame ! 

The  Ladder  of  St.  Augustine. 

September  Seventeenth 
In  the  world's  broad  field  of  battle, 

In  the  bivouac  of  Life, 
Be  not  like  dumb,  driven  cattle; 
Be  a  hero  in  the  strife ! 

A  Psalm  of  Life. 

September  Eighteenth 
In  that  hour  of  deep  contrition, 
He  beheld,  with  clearer  vision, 
Through   all   outward   show   and   fashion. 
Justice,  the  Avenger,  rise. 

The  Norman  Baron. 

September  Nineteenth 
Nor  deem  the  irrevocable  Past 

As  wholly  wasted,  wholly  vain, 
If,  rising  on  its  wrecks,  at  last. 
To  something  nobler  we  attain. 

The  Ladder  of  St.  Augustine, 

[92] 


FliOM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

September  Twentieth 

Deny 
The  tempter,  though  his  power  is  strong, 
And,  inaccessible  to  wrong. 
Still  like  a  martyr  live  and  die ! 

The  Golden  Legend. 
September  Twenty-first 
And  though  at  times  impetuous  with  emotion 

And  anguish  long  suppressed. 
The   swelling   heart   heaves   moaning  like   the 
ocean. 
That  cannot  be  at  rest, — 

We  will  be  patient,  and  assuage  the  feeling 

We  may  not  wholly  stay ; 
By  silence  sanctifying,  not  concealing, 

The  grief  that  must  have  way. 

Resignation. 
September  Twenty-second 
From  the  barred  visor  of  Antiquity 
Reflected  shines  the  eternal  light  of  Truth, 
As  from  a  mirror !    All  the  means  of  action — 
The  shapeless  masses — the  materials — 
Lie  everywhere  about  us.    What  we  need 
Is  the  celestial  fire  to  change  the  flint 
Into  transparent  crystal,  bright  and  clear. 
That  fire  is  genius !       The  Spanish  Student. 
[93] 


FEOM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

September  Twenty-third 
The  thought  of  my  sliort-comings  in  this  Hfe 
Falls  like  a  shadow  on  tlie  hfc  to  come. 

The  Golden  Legend. 
September  Twenty-fourth 
The  pleasures  and  delights,  which  mask 
In  treacherous  smiles  hfe's  serious  task, 
What  are  they,  all, 
But  the  fleet  coursers  of  the  chase, 
And  death  an  ambush  in  the  race. 
Wherein  we  fall? 

No  foe,  no  dangerous  pass,  we  heed, 
Brook  no  delay, — but  onward  speed 
With  loosened  rein ; 
And,  when  the  fatal  snare  is  near, 
We  strive  to  check  our  mad  career, 
But  strive  in  vain. 

Coplas  dc  Manrique. 
September  Twenty-fifth 
Knowest  thou  Him,  who  forgave,  with  the  crown 

of  thorns  round  his  temples? 
Earnestly  prayed  for  his  foes,  for  his  murder- 
ers?    Say,  dost  thou  know  him? 
Ah!  thou  confessest  his  name,  so  follow  like- 
wise his  example. 
The  Children  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 
[94] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

September  Twenty-sixth 
Not  in  the  clamour  of  the  crowded  street. 
Not  in  the  shouts  and  plaudits  of  the  throng, 
But  in  ourselves,  are  triumph  and  defeat. 

The  Poet. 

September  Twenty-seventh 
Fear  not  each  sudden  sound  and  shock, 
'Tis  of  the  wave  and  not  the  rock ; 
'Tis  but  the  flapping  of  the  sail, 
And  not  a  rent  made  by  the  gale ! 

The  Building  of  the  Ship. 

September  Twenty-eighth 
Lead  me  to  mercy's  ever-flowing  fountains ; 
For   thou   my   shepherd,    guard,    and    guide 

shalt  be. 
I  will  obey  thy  voice,  and  wait  to  see 
Thy  feet  a^^  ^^eautiful  upon  the  mountains. 

The  Good  Shepherd. 

September  Twenty-ninth 
Down  goes  the  sun ! 
But  the  soul  of  one. 
Who  by  repentance 
Has   escaped    the   dreadful    sentence, 
Shines  bright  below  me  as  I  look. 

The  Golden  Legend. 

[95] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

>?*c>j*k  yjy  >J«^  yjv  >?»c>i>(  >?0''^c  >j<  >^c  i^yiicyfK  viv  y^y  >j<  >|v: 

September  Thirtieth 
All  sounds  were  in  harmony  blended. 
Voices  of  children  at  play,  the  crowing  of  cocks 

in  the  farm-yards, 
Whir  of  wings  in  the  droAVsy  air,  and  the  cooing 

of  pigeons. 
All  were  subdued  and  low  as  the  murmurs  of 

love,  and  the  great  sun 
Looked  with  the  eye  of  love  through  the  golden 

vapors  around  him ; 
While  arrayed  in  its  robes  of  russet  and  scarlet 

and  yellow. 
Bright  with  the  sheen  of  the  dew,  each  glitter- 
ing tree  of  the  forest 
Flashed  like  the  plane-tree  the  Persian  adorned 

with  mantles  and  jewels. 

Evangeline. 


[96] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

^  xix  yfK  y(*.  7?^7?ir^^>K>?<r7jir  yi>c  y^v  >;y  >?<>jv  >iv  v^:  >j«j 


OCTOBER 

October  First 
There  is  a  beautiful  spirit  breathing  now 
Its  mellow  richness  on  the  clustered  trees. 
And,  from  a  beaker  full  of  richest  dyes, 
Pouring  new  glory  on  the  autumn  woods, 
And  dipping  in  warm  light  the  pillared  clouds. 

Autumn. 

October  Second 
O  what  a  glory  doth  this  world  put  on 
For  him  who,  with  a  fervent  heart,  goes  forth 
Under  the  bright  and  glorious  sky,  and  looks 
On  duties  well  performed,  and  days  well  spent ! 

Autumn. 

October  Third 
For  him  the  wind,  ay,  and  the  yellow  leaves 
Shall  have  a  voice,  and  give  him  eloquent  teach- 
ings. 
He  shall  so  hear  the  solemn  hymn,  that  Death 
Has  lifted  up  for  all,  that  he  shall  go 
To  his  long  resting-place  without  a  tear. 

Autumn. 
[97] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

October  Fourth 
Over  all  is   the  sky,  the  clear   and  crystalline 

heaven, 
Like  the  protecting  hand  of  God. 

Evangeline. 
October  Fifth 
Upward  steals  the  life  of  man, 
As  the  sunshine  from  the  wall. 
From  the  wall  into  the  sky. 

From  the  roof  along  the  spire ; 
Ah,  the  souls  of  those  that  die 
Are  but  sunbeams  lifted  higher. 

The  Golden  Legend. 
October  Sixth 
Think  not  the  struggle  that  draws  near 
Too  terrible  for  man, — nor  fear 
To  meet  the  foe ; 
Nor  let  thy  noble  spirit  grieve. 
Its  life  of  glorious  fame  to  leave 
On  earth  below. 

Coplas  de  Manrique. 
October  Seventh 
Why  deck  the  flesh, — the  sensual  slave  of  sin, 
And  leave  in  rags  the  immortal  guest  within.? 

The  Soul. 
[  98  ] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

October  Eighth 
Be  still,  sad  heart !  and  cease  repining ; 
Behind  the  clouds  is  the  sun  still  shining ; 
Thy  fate  is  the  common  fate  of  all, 
Into  each  life  some  rain  must  fall, 
Some  days  must  be  dark  and  dreary. 

The  Rainy  Day. 
October  Ninth 
Patience  and  abnegation  of  self,  and  devotion 

to  others, 
This  was  the  lesson  a  life  of  trial  and  sorrow 

had  taught  her. 
So  was  her  love  diffused,  but,  like  to  some  odor- 
ous spices, 
Suffered  no  waste  nor  loss,  though  filling  the 

air  with  aroma. 
Other  hope  had  she  none,  nor  wish  in  life,  but 

to  follow 
Meekly,  with  reverent  steps,  the  sacred  feet  of 
her  Saviour.  Evangeline. 

October  Tenth 
How  many  lives,  made  beautiful  and  sweet 
By  self-devotion  and  by  self-restraint, 
Whose  pleasure  is  to  run  without  complaint 
On  unknown  errands  of  the  Paraclete. 

Giotto^s  Tower, 
[99] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

October  Eleventh 
Morn  on  the  mountain,  like  a  summer  bird, 
Lifts  up  her  purple  wing,  and  in  the  vales 
The  gentle  wind,  a  sweet  and  passionate  wooer, 
Kisses  the  blushing  leaf,  and  stirs  up  life. 
Within    the    solemn    woods    of   ash    deep-crim- 
soned, 
And  silver  beech,  and  maple  yellow-leaved, 
Where  autumn,  like  a  faint  old  man,  sits  down 
By  the  wayside  a-weary.  Autumn. 

October  Twelfth 
Could  we  new  charms  to  age  impart, 
And  fashion  with  a  cunning  art 
The  human  face. 

As  we  can  clothe  the  soul  with  light, 
And  make  the  glorious  spirit  bright 
With  heavenly  grace. 

Co  plus  de  Manrique. 

October  Thirteenth 
This  rustic  seat  in  the  old  apple-tree. 
With  its  o'erhanging  golden  canopy 
Of  leaves  illuminate  with  autumnal  hues, 
And  shining  with  the  argent  light  of  dews, 
Shall  for  a  season  be  our  place  of  rest. 

To  a  Child. 

[100] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

'A\ xix >p: x(K  /♦K y^yi^y;i:y^y^y^\ >{.c >i<>|< 7?r y^v  v^y  y»y 

October  Fourteenth 
The  poor  too  often  turn  away  unheard 
From   hearts    that   shut   against   them   witli   a 

sound 
That  will  be  heard  in  heaven.     Pray,  tell  me 

more 
Of  your  adversities. 

The  Spanish  Student. 

October  Fifteenth 
Now  if  my  act  be  good,  as  I  believe, 
It  cannot  be  recalled.     It  is  already 
Sealed*  up  in  heaven,  as   a   good  deed  accom- 
plished. The  Golden  Legend. 

October  Sixteenth 
But  the  good  deed  through  the  ages 
Living  in  historic  pages. 
Brighter  grows  and  gleams  immortal, 
Unconsumed  by  moth  or  rust. 

The  Norman  Baron. 

October  Seventeenth 
Thanks  for  the  sympathies  that  ye  have  shown ! 
Thanks  for  each  kindly  word,  each  silent  token, 
That  teaches  me,  when  seeming  most  alone, 
Friends   are   around   us,   though  no   word   be 
spoken.  Dedication. 

[101] 


PROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

October  Eighteenth 
It  was  Autumn,  and  Incessant 

Piped  the  quails  from  shocks  and  sheaves, 
And,  hke  living  coals,  the  apples 

Burned  among  the  withering  leaves. 

Pegasus  in  Pound. 
October  Nineteenth 
Blessing  the  farms  through  all   thy   vast  do- 
main, 
Thy  shield  is  the  red  harvest  moon,  suspended 
So  long  beneath,  the  heavens'  o'erhanging  eaves, 
Thy    steps    are   by    the   farmer's   prayers    at- 
tended ; 
Like  flames  upon  an  altar  shine  the  sheaves ; 
And,  following  thee,  in  thy  ovation  splendid, 
Thine  almoner,  the  wind,  scatters  the  golden 
leaves !  Autumn. 

October  Twentieth 
But  hark  !  the  bells  are  beginning  to  chime  ; 
For  the  bells  themselves  are  the  best  of  preach- 
ers. 
Their  brazen  lips  are  learned  teachers. 
From  their  pulpits  of  stone,  in  the  upper  air, 
Sounding  aloft,  without  crack  or  flaw. 
Shriller  than  trumpets  under  the  Law, 
Now  a  sermon  and  now  a  prayer. 

The  Golden  Legend, 
[  102  ] 


FKOM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

October  Twenty-first 
The  clangorous  hammer  is  the  tongue, 
This  way,  that  way,  beaten  and  swung. 
And  above  it  the  great  cross-beam  of  wood 
Representeth  the  Holy  Rood, 
Upon  which,  like  the  bell,  our  hopes  are  hung. 
And  the»  wheel  wherewith  it  is  swayed  and  rung 
Is  the  mind  of  man,  that  round  and  round 
Sways,  and  maketh  the  tongue  to  sound ! 
And  the  rope,  witli.  its  twisted  cordage  three, 
Denoteth  the-  Scriptural  Trinity 
Of  Morals,  and  Symbols,  and  History; 
And  the  upward  and  downward  motions  show 
That  we  touch  upon  matters  liigh  and  low. 

The  Golden  Legend. 

October  Twenty-second 
And,  loving  still  these  quaint  old  themes, 

Even  in  the  city's  throng 
I  feel  the  freshness  of  the  streams. 
That,  crossed  by  shades  and  sunny  gleams, 
Water  the  green  land  of  dreams, 

The  holy  land  of  song.  Prelude, 

October  Twenty-third 

All  dear  recollections 
Pressed  in  my  heart,  hke  flowers  within  a  book. 
The  Spanish  Student, 
[103] 


FEOM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

^  7;^>?ir  >Jir  TJiT  7^^  7}^  TfK  >?K  TJ^Ttx  TpTTprvj^  7?r^ 

October  Twenty-fourth 
Let  me  review  the  scene, 
And  summon  from  the  shadowy  Past 
The  forms  that  once  have  been. 

A  Gleam  of  Sunshine. 

October  Twenty-fifth 
Walking  here,  in  twilight,  O  my  friends ! 

I  hear  your  voices,  softened  by  the  distance, 
And  pause,  and  turn  to  listen,  as  each  sends 
His  words  of  friendship,  comfort,  and  assist- 
ance. Dedication, 

October  Twenty-sixth 
There  is  no  light  in  earth  or  heaven. 

But  the  cold  light  of  stars  ; 
And  the  first  watch  of  night  is  given 
To  the  red  planet  Mars. 

The  Light  of  Stars. 

October  Twenty-seventh 

I  am  the  minister  of  Mars, 
The  strongest  star  among  the  stars ! 

My  s^ongs  of  power  prelude 
The  march  and  battle  of  man's  life. 
And  for  the  suffering  and  the  strife, 
I  give  liira  Fortitude ! 

The  Golden  Legend, 

[104] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

v^y^ytKytKyi^y^yi^yt^yi^yi^  yi<  54^  ''i^  "^  >'»^  ^'^^  T^^op- 

October  Twenty-eighth 

When  thou  smilest,  my  beloved, 
Then  my  troubled  heart  is  brightened 
As  in  sunshine  gleam  the  ripples 
That  the  cold  wind  makes  in  rivers. 

The-  Song-  of  Hiawatha. 

October  Twenty-ninth 

My  life,  alas !  is  what  thou  seest ! 

O  enviable  fate!  to  be 

Strong,  beautiful,  and  armed  hke  thee 

With  lyre  and  sword,  with  song  and  steel ; 

A  hand  to  smite,  a  heart  to  feel ! 

Thy  heart,  thy  hand,  thy  lyre,  thy  sword, 

Thou  givest  all  unto  thy  Lord ! 

While  I,  so  mean  and  abject  grown, 

Am  thinking  of  myself  alone. 

The  Golden  Legend. 

October  Thirtieth 

Filled  i-s  Life's  goblet  to  the  brim ; 
And  though  my  eyes  with  tears  are  dim, 
I  see  its  sparkling  bubbles  swim. 
And  chant  a  melancholy  hymn 
With  solemn  voice  and  slow. 

The  Goblet  of  Life. 

[  105  ] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

October  Thirty-first 

Come,  read  to  me  some  poem, 
Some  simple  and  heartfelt  lay, 

That  shall  soothe  this  restless  feeling, 
And  banish  the  thoughts  of  day. 

Such  songs  have  power  to  quiet 

The  restless  pulse  of  care, 
And  come  like  the  benediction 

That  follows  after  prayer. 

And  the  night  shall  be  filled  with  music, 
And  the  cares,  that  infest  the  day, 

Shall  fold  their  tents,  like  the  Arabs, 
And  as  silently  steal  away. 

The  Day  is  Done. 


{106] 


FKOM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 


NOVEMBER 


November  First 


With  a  sober  gladness  the  old  year  takes  up 
His  bright  inheritance  of  golden  fruits. 

Autumn. 


November  Second 

This  is  the  forest  primeval.     The  murmuring 
pines  and  the  hemlocks, 

Bearded  with  moss,  and  in  garments  green,  in- 
distinct in  the  twilight, 

Stand  like  Druids  of  eld,  with  voices  sad  and 
prophetic. 

Stand  like  harpers  hoar,  with  beards  that  rest 
on  their  bosoms. 

Loud  from  its  rocky  caverns,  the  deep-voiced 
neighboring  ocean 

Speaks,  and  in  accents  disconsolate  answers  the 
wail  of  the  forest. 

Evangeline, 

[107] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

vjcyjirTjsr  yi<.  Hv  yiv  viv  yi^Tj^rrp:/?^  y^v  >iv  y|v  /^-^  ■/;<•/$< 

November  Third 
All  the  air  was  full  of  freshness, 
All  the  earth  was  bright  and  joyous. 

The  Song  of  Hiawatha. 

November  Fourth 
Between  the  dark  and  the  daylight, 

When  the  night  is  beginning  to  lower. 
Comes  a  pause  in  the  day's  occupations, 

That  is  known  as  the  Children's  Hour. 

I  hear  in  the  chamber  above  me 

The  patter  of  little  feet. 
The  sound  of  a  door  that  is  opened. 

And  voices  soft  and  sweet. 

The  Children's  Hour. 

November  Fifth 
In  your  hearts  are  the  birds  and  the  sunshine, 

In  your  thoughts  the  brooklet's  flow. 
But  in  mine  is  the  wind  of  Autumn, 
And  the  first  fall  of  the  snow. 

Children. 

November  Sixth 
Happy  art  thou,  as  if  every  day  thou  hadst 
picked  up  a  horseshoe. 

Evangeline. 

[108] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

vyrTj^TKTjir  y^v  v^v  y^y  vj^r^iv  yjy  yjy  >|v  yjv  v^  ViOj^T^^r?^ 

November  Seventh 
Maiden !  with  the  meek,  brown  eyes 
In  whose  orbs  a  shadow  hes 
Like  the  dusk  in  evening  skies  ! 

Thou  whose  locks  outshine  the  sun, 
Golden  tresses,  wreathed  in  one. 
As  the  braided  streamlets  run ! 

Standing,  with  reluctant  feet. 
Where  the  brook  and  river  meet, 
Womanhood  and  childhood  fleet! 

Maidenhood. 

November  Eighth 
More  hearts  are  breaking  in  this  world  of  ours 
Than  one  would  say.     In  distant  villages 
And  solitudes  remote,  where  winds  have  wafted 
The  barbed  seeds  of  love,  or  birds  of  passage 
Scattered  them  in  their  flight,  do  they  take  root. 
And  grow  in  silence,  and  in  silence  perish. 
Who  hears  tlie  falhng  of  the  forest  leaf.? 
Or  who  takes  note  of  every  flower  that  dies? 
The  Spanish  Student. 

November  Ninth 
There  is  no  wound  Christ  cannot  heal ! 

The  Golden  Legend. 

[109] 


FKOM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

November  Tenth 
What  I  most  prize  in  woman 
Is  her  affections,  not  her  intellect! 
The  intellect  is  finite ;  but  the  affections 
Are  infinite,  and  cannot  be  exhausted. 

The  Spanish  Student. 

November  Eleventh 

But  as  he  warmed  and  glowed,  in  his  simple  and 
eloquent  language. 

Quite  forgetful  of  self,  and  full  of  the  praise  of 
his  rival. 

Archly  the  maiden  smiled,  and,  with  eyes  over- 
running with  laughter. 

Said,  in   a   tremulous   voice,   "Why   don't  you 
speak  for  yourself,  John?" 

The  Courtship  of  Miles  Standish. 

November  Twelfth 
But  Hope  no  longer 
Comforts  my  soul.     I  am  a  wretched  man, 
Much  like  a  poor  and  shipwrecked  mariner, 
Who,  struggling  to  climb  up  into  the  boat. 
Has  both  his  bruised  and  bleeding  hands  cut  off, 
And  sinks  again  into  the  weltering  sea, 
Helpless  and  hopeless ! 

The  Spanish  Student, 

[110] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

November  Thirteenth 
All  around  him  was  calm,  but  within  him  com- 
motion and  conflict, 
Love  contending  with  friendship,  and  self  with 
each  generous  impulse. 

The  Courtship  of  Miles  Standish. 

November  Fourteenth 
As  unto  the  bow  the  cord  is. 
So  unto  the  man  is  woman: 
Though  she  bends  him,  she  obeys  him. 
Though  she  draws  him,  yet  she  follows, 
Useless  each  without  the  other ! 

The  Song  of  Hiawatha. 

November  Fifteenth 
It  has  been  truly  said  by  some  wise  man. 
That  money,  grief,  and  love  cannot  be  hidden. 
TJie  Spanish  Student. 

November  Sixteenth 
The  Planet  Mercury,  whose  place 
Is  nearest  to  the  sun  in  space. 

Is  my  allotted  sphere! 
And  with  celestial  ardour  swift 
I  I:  ?ar  upon  my  hands  the  gift 

Of  heavenly  Prudence  here! 

The  Golden  Legend. 

[Ill] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

November  Seventeenth 
My  life  is  cold,  and  dark,  and  dreary ; 
It  rains,  and  the  wind  is  never  weary ; 
My  thoughts  still  cling  to  the  mouldering  Past, 
But  the  hopes  of  youth  fall  thick  in  the  blast, 
And  the  days  are  dark  and  dreary. 

The  Rainy  Day. 

November  Eighteenth 
The  day  is  done ;  and  slowly  from  the  scene 
The  stooping  sun  upgathers  his  spent  shafts, 
And  puts  them  back  into  his  golden  quiver ! 
Below  me  in  the  valley,  deep  and  green 
As  goblets  are,  from  which  in  thirsty  draughts 
We  drink  its  wine,  the  swift  and  mantling  river 
Flows  on  triumphant  through  these  lovely  re- 
gions. 
Etched  with  the  shadows  of  its  sombre  margent, 
And  soft,  reflected  clouds  of  gold  and  argent ! 

The  Golden  Legend. 

November  Nineteenth 
This  goblet,  wrought  with  curious  art, 
Is  filled  with  waters,  that  upstart. 
When  the  deep  fountains  of  the  heart. 
By  strong  convulsions  rent  apart. 
Are  running  all  to  waste. 

The  Goblet  of  Life. 

[112] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

November  Twentieth 
Now  be  strong,  be  strong,  my  heart ! 

The  Spanish  Student. 
November  Twenty-first 
Even  as  rivulets  twain,  from  distant  and  sep- 
arate sources. 
Rush  together  at  last,  at  their  trysting-place 

in  the  forest; 
So  these  lives  that  had  run  thus  far  in  separate 

channels. 
Coming  in  sight  of  each  other,  then  swerving 

and  flowing  asunder, 
Parted  by  barriers  strong,  but  drawing  nearer 

and  nearer. 
Rushed  together  at  last,  and  one  was  lost  in 
the  other. 

The  Courtship  of  Miles  Standish. 
November  Twenty-second 
Thus  it  is  our  daughters  leave  us, 
Those  we  love,  and  those  who  love  us ! 
Just  when  they  have  learned  to  help  us. 
When  we  are  old  and  lean  upon  them. 
Comes  a  youth  with  flaunting  feathers, 
Beckons  to  the  fairest  maiden. 
And  she  follows  where  he  leads  her. 
Leaving  all  things  for  the  stranger ! 

The  Song  of  Hiawatha. 
[113] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

November  Twenty-third 
In  life's  delight,  in  death's  dismay, 
In  storm  and  sunshine,  night  and  day, 
In  health,  in  sickness,  in  decay. 
Here  and  hereafter,  I  am  thine ! 

The  Golden  Legend. 

November  Twenty-fourth 

Love  is  the  root  of  creation ;  God's   essence ; 

worlds  without  number 
Lie  in  His  bosom  like  children. 

The  Children  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

November  Twenty-fifth 
O  beauty  of  holiness, 
Of  self-forgetfulness,  of  lowliness! 
O  power  of  meekness, 
Whose  very  gentleness  and  weakness 
Are  like  the  yielding,  but  irresistible  air ! 
The  Golden  Legend. 

November  Twenty-sixth 

Good  night !  Good  night,  beloved ! 

I  come  to  watch  o'er  thee ! 
To  be  near  thee, — to  be  near  thee, 

Alone  is  peace  for  me. 

The  Spanish  Student. 

[114] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

«?  y^  xix  y^  x^  -^-^TK"^  >iV  ViV  >^C  >Jy-  >?i:>?sr>J^7?i'7^ 

November  Twenty-seventh 
Encamped  beside  Life's  rushing  stream. 

In  Fancy's  misty  light, 
Gigantic  shapes  and  shadows  gleam 
Portentous  through  the  night. 

The  Beleaguered  City, 
November  Twenty-eighth 
They  come,  the  shapes  of  joy  and  woe. 
The  airy  crowds  of  long  ago. 
The  dreams  and  fancies  known  of  yore, 
They  have  been,  and  shall  be  no  more. 
They  change  the  cloisters  of  the  night 
Into  a  garden  of  delight ; 
They  make  the  dark  and  dreary  hours 
Open  and  blossom  into  flowers ! 

The  Golden  Legend, 

November  Twenty-ninth 
Into  the  Silent  Land! 
To  you,  ye  boundless  regions 
Of  all  perfections  !    Tender  morning  visions 
Of  beauteous  souls !     The  Future's  pledge  and 

band 
Who  in  Life's  battle  firm  doth  stand. 
Shall  bear  Hope's  tender  blossoms 
Into  the  Silent  Land ! 

Song  of  the  Silent  Land. 

[115] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

?;p?7pr>j>c  7?>r  7F  >?^  >?^  >l^  >?^>^  ^^ ''^ '^  ^^"^ '^ 

November  Thirtieth 

The  life  which  is,  and  that  which  is  to  come, 

Suspended  hang  in  such  nice  equipoise 

A  breath  disturbs  the  balance ;  and  that  scale 

In  which  we  throw  our  hearts  preponderates, 

And  the  other,  like  an  empty  one,  flies  up, 

And  is  accounted  vanity  and  air ! 

To  me  the  thought  of  death  is  terrible. 

Having  such  hold  on  life.     To  thee  it  is  not 

So  much  even  as  the  lifting  of  a  latch; 

Only  a  step  into  the  open  air 

Out  of  a  tent  already  luminous 

With  light  that  shines  through  its  transparent 

walls. 
O  pure  in  heart !  from  thy  sweet  dust  shall  grow 
Lilies,  upon  whose  petals  will  be  written 
*'Ave  Maria"  in  characters  of  gold ! 

The  Golden  Legend. 


[  116  ] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 


DECEMBER 

December  First 

Onward  its  course  the  present  keeps, 
Onward  the  constant  current  sweeps, 
Till  life  is  done ; 

And,  did  we  judge  of  time  aright, 
The  past  and  future  in  their  flight 
Would  be  as  one. 

Coplas  de  Manrique. 

December  Second 

Lord,  what  am  I,  that,  with  unceasing  care, 
Thou  didst  seek  after  me, — that  thou  didst  wait, 
Wet  with  unhealthy  dews,  before  my  gate, 
And  pass  the  gloomy  nights  of  winter  there? 
O  strange  delusion ! — that  I  did  not  greet 
Thy  blest   approach,   and   O,   to   Heaven   how 

lost, 
If  my  ingratitude's  unkindly  frost 
Has  chilled  the  bleeding  wounds  upon  thy  feet. 

To-morroTv. 

[117] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

December  Third 

With  reverent  feet  the  earth  he  trod, 
Nor  banished  nature  from  his  plan, 
But  studied  still  with  deep  research 
To  build  the  Universal  Church, 
Lofty  as  is  the  love  of  God, 
And  ample  as  the  wants  of  man. 

The  Wayside  Inn. 

December  Fourth 

Out  of  the  bosom  of  the  Air, 

Out    of    the    cloud-folds    of    her    garments 
shaken. 
Over  the  woodlands  brown  and  bare 

Over  the  harvest-fields  forsaken, 

Silent,  and  soft,  and  slow 

Descends  the  snow.  Snow-flakes. 

December  Fifth 

Shrilly  the  skater's  iron  rings. 
And  voices  fill  the  woodland  side. 

Alas  !  how  changed  from  the  fair  scene, 
When  birds  sang  out  their  mellow  lay, 

And  winds  were  soft,  and  woods  were  green, 
And  the  song  ceased  not  with  the  day. 

Woods  in  Winter, 

[118] 


FEOM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

December  Sixth 
If  justice  rules  the  universe, 
From  the  good  actions  of  good  men 
Angels  of  light  should  be  begotten, 
And  thus  the  balance  restored  again. 

TJie  Golden  Legend. 
December  Seventh 
Were  half  the  power,  that  fills  the  world  with 

terror. 
Were  half  the  wealth,  bestowed  on  camps  and 

courts, 
Given  to  redeem  the  human  mind  from  error, 
There  were  no  need  of  arsenals  nor  forts. 

The  Arsenal  at  Springfield. 
December  Eighth 
God  is  not  dead ;  nor  doth  He  sleep 
The  wrong  shall  fail. 
The  right  prevail. 
With  peace  on  earth,  good-will  to  men ! 
Christmas  Bells. 
December  Ninth 
Leafless  are  the  trees ;  their  purple  branches 
Spread  themselves  abroad,  like  reefs  of  coral, 

Rising  silent 
In  the  Red  Sea  of  the  Winter  sunset. 

The  Golden  Milestone. 

[119] 


FKOM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

December  Tenth 

O  my  Lord! 
Would  I  could  leave  behind  me  upon  earth 
Some  monument  to  Thy  glory! 

The  Golden  Legend. 
December  Eleventh 
And  as  the  moon  from  some  dark  gate  of  cloud 
Throws  o'er  the  sea  a  floating  bridge  of  light, 
Across    whose    trembling    planks    our    fancies 
crowd 
Into  the  realm  of  mystery  and  night, — 

So  from  the  world  of  spirits  there  descends 
A  bridge  of  light,  connecting  it  with  this, 
O'er    whose    unsteady    floor,    that    sways    and 
bends. 
Wander  our  thoughts  above  the  dark  abyss. 

Haunted  Houses. 
December  Twelfth 
And  the  friendships  old  and  the  early  loves 
Come  back  with  a  sabbath  sound,  as  of  doves 
In  quiet  neighborhoods. 

And  the  verse  of  that  sweet  old  song, 
It  flutters  and  murmurs  still : 
"A  boy's  will  is  the  wind's  will, 
And   the   thoughts    of   youth   are   long,   long 
thoughts."  My  Lost  Youth. 

[  120  ] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

December  Thirteenth 
Above  the  darksome  sea  of  death 
Looms  the  great  hfe  that  is  to  be, 
A  land  of  cloud  and  mystery, 
A  dim  mirage,  with  shapes  of  men 
Long  dead,  and  passed  beyond  our  ken. 
Awe-struck  we  gaze,  and  hold  our  breath 
Till  the  fair  pageant  vanisheth. 
Leaving  us  in  perplexity. 
And  doubtful  whether  it  has  been 
A  vision  of  the  world  unseen, 
Or  a  bright  image  of  our  own 
Against  the  sky  in  vapors  thrown. 

The  Golden  Legend. 
December  Fourteenth 
I  do  not  fear,  I  have  a  heart 
In  whose  strength  I  can  trust. 

The  Spanish  Student. 
December  Fifteenth 
O  Land !  O  Land ! 
For  all  the  broken-hearted 
The  mildest  herald  by  our  fate  allotted, 
Beckons,  and  with  inverted  torch  doth  stand 
To  lead  us  with  a  gentle  hand 
Lito  the  land  of  the  great  Departed, 
Into  the  Silent  Land ! 

Song  of  the  Silent  Land, 
[121] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

December  Sixteenth 
There  is  no  flock,  however  watched  and  tended, 

But  one  dead  lamb  is  there ! 
There  is  no  fireside,  howsoe'er  defended, 
But  has  one  vacant  chair ! 

Resignation, 
December  Seventeenth 
Ye  children,  does  Death  e'er  alarm  you? 
Death  is  the  brother  of  Love,  twin-brother  is  he, 

and  is  only 
More  austere  to  behold.     With  a  kiss  upon  lips 

that  are  fading 
Takes  he  the  soul  and  departs,  and  rocked  in 

the  arms  of  affection, 
Places  the  ransomed  child,  new  born,  'fore  the 
face  of  its  father. 
The  Children  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

December  Eighteenth 
I  am  the  Angel  of  the  Sun, 
Whose  flaming  wheels  began  to  run 

When  God's  almighty  breath 
Said  to  the  darkness  and  the  Niffht, 
Let  there  be  light !  and  there  was  light ! 
I  bring  the  gift  of  Faith. 

The  Golden  Legend. 
[122] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

December  Nineteenth 

We  see  but  dimly  through  the  mists  and  vapors ; 

Amid  these  earthly  damps, 
What  seem  to  us  but  sad,  funereal  tapers 

May  be  heaven's  distant  lamps. 

Resignation, 

December  Twentieth 

Beautiful  was  the  night.     Behind  the  black  wall 

of  the  forest. 
Tipping  its  summit  with  silver,  arose  the  moon. 

On  the  river 
Fell   here   and   there   through   the   branches    a 

tremulous  gleam  of  the  moonlight, 
Like  the  sweet  thoughts  of  love  on  a  darkened 

and  devious  spirit. 

Evangeline, 

December  Twenty-first 

I  am  the  Angel  of  the  Moon, 
Darkened,  to  be  rekindled  soon 

Beneath  the  azure  cope! 
Nearest  to  earth,  it  is  my  ray 
That  best  illumes  the  midnight  way, 

I  bring  the  gift  of  Hope! 

The  Golden  Legend. 

[123] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

December  Twenty-second 
The  Planet  Jupiter  is  mine ! 
The  mightiest  star  of  all  that  shine, 
■   Except  the  sun  alone ! 
He  is  the  High  Priest  of  the  Dove, 
And  sends,  from  his  great  throne  above, 
Justice,  that  shall  atone ! 

The  Golden  Legend. 

December  Twenty-third 
As  a  pilgrim  to  the  Holy  City 
Walks  unmolested,  and  with  thoughts  of  pardon 
Occupied  wholly,  so  would  I  approach 
The  gates  of  Heaven,  in  this  great  jubilee, 
With  my  petition,  putting  off  from  me 
All  thoughts  of  earth,  as  shoes  from  off  my 
feet.  The  Golden  Legend. 

December  Twenty-fourth 
Shepherds  at  the  grange. 
Where  the  Babe  was  born. 
Sang,  with  many  a  change, 

Christmas  carols  until  morn. 
Let  us  by  the  fire 
Ever  higher 

Sing  them  till  the  night  expire! 

A  Christmas  Carol, 

[124] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

December  Twenty-fifth 
Hail  to  thee,  Christ  of  Christendom! 
O'er  all  the  earth  thy  kingdom  come ! 

The  Golden  Legend. 
December  Twenty-sixth 
I  heard  the  bells  on  Christmas  Day 
Their  old,  familiar  carols  play, 
And  wild  and  sweet 
The  words  repeat 
Of  "Peace  on  earth,  good-will  to  men." 
Christmas  Bells. 
December  Twenty-seventh 
By  what  astrology  of  fear  or  hope 
Dare  I  to  cast  thy  horoscope ! 
Like  the  new  moon  thy  life  appears ; 
A  little  strip  of  silver  hght, 
And  widening  outAvard  into  night 
The  shadowy  disk  of  future  years : 
And  yet  upon  its  outer  rim, 
A  luminous  circle,  faint  and  dim, 
And  scarcely  visible  to  us  here. 
Rounds  and  completes  the  perfect  sphere; 
A  prophecy  and  intimation, 
A  pale  and  feeble  adumbration. 
Of  the  great  world  of  light,  that  lies 
Behind  all  human  destinies.        To  a  Child. 

[  125  ] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

December  Twenty-eighth 
Wassail  for  the  kingly  stranger 
Born  and  cradled  in  a  manger ! 
King,  like  David,  priest,  like  Aaron, 
Christ  is  born  to  set  us  free! 

The  No7'man  Baron, 

December  Twenty-ninth 
Alas !  our  memories  may  retrace 
Each  circumstance  of  time  and  place, 
Season  and  scene  come  back  again. 
And  outward  things  unchanged  remain ; 
The  rest  we  cannot  reinstate ; 
Ourselves  we  cannot  re-create. 
Nor  set  our  souls  to  the  same  key 
Of  the  remembered  harmony ! 

The  Golden  Legend. 

December  Thirtieth 

Down  the  dark  future,  through  long  genera- 
tions, 
The  echoing  sounds  grow  fainter  and  then 
cease ; 
And  like  a  bell,  with  solemn,  sweet  vibrations, 
I  hear  once  more  the  voice   of  Christ   say, 
"Peace!" 

The  Arsenal  at  Spring-field. 

[126] 


FROM  DAY  TO  DAY  WITH  LONGFELLOW 

December  Thirty-first 
Thus  the  Seer, 
With  vision  clear, 
Sees  forms  appear  and  disappear, 
In  the  perpetual  round  of  strange, 
Mysterious  change 

From  birth  to  death,  from  death  to  birth. 
From  earth  to  heaven,  from  heaven  to  earth ; 

Till  glimpses  more  sublime 

Of  things,  unseen  before. 

Unto  his  wondering  eyes  reveal 

The  Universe,  as  an  immeasurable  wheel 

Turning  for  evermore 

In  the  rapid  and  rushing  river  of  Time. 

Rain  in  Summer. 


[127] 


LONDON  BOOK  CC 


UC  SOUTHERN 


REGIONAL  LIBRARY  f-CjLlTY 


Xr     000  251839    7 


